


I am in quarantine and they are in love

by jamesgatz1925



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/F, Humor, One Shot Collection, Smut, Stand Alone, Tags to be added, The rating is e but not all chapters are e, i am so bored, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:07:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 75
Words: 114,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24282583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesgatz1925/pseuds/jamesgatz1925
Summary: Short one shots, each stand alone, of Huntress and Black Canary. Some are smut, some are just humor.All from prompts I found on Tumblr.
Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Dinah Lance
Comments: 269
Kudos: 524





	1. Tik-Tok

Dinah lounged on her plush pillows that took up most of her bed. For years of having only herself for comfort, she had the habit of accumulating the fluff. Now, she did have a bed-mate, and someone to spare plenty of comfort that they both needed, but the pillows were still necessary. 

It was mid-afternoon, and she didn’t need to be at the club for a shift until eight that evening. She should be asleep, which is what she told Helena she’d be doing, but she couldn’t bring herself to shut her eyes. Helena even decided to give her space to rest rather than lounging with her. Nonetheless, she was bored. Sleep would not come. 

Dinah scrolled through videos on her phone. Cass showed her Tik-Tok—although she’s not that old—and many of the videos that popped up were quite funny. They were entertaining enough, and she often fell down a rabbit hole of suggested videos. 

Many minutes passed and she realized she’d been watching a trend of the same kinds of videos: people walking in completely naked and surprising their significant other. Mostly women surprising their man, but there were a few men to men or women to women videos, and all of them had hilarious results. The significant other was usually pleasantly surprised, so much so that many men were tripping over themselves to get to their girl. Dinah thought it was hilarious. 

And then she got a mischievous idea. 

Helena would react well, right? Maybe she wouldn’t jump up like a dog being offered a bone. But she’d be excited. Maybe she wouldn’t show it, sure. She’d probably be silently surprised, a tinge if blush on her cheeks and stammering embarrassment coming from her lips. Maybe she’d stay on the couch, and Dinah could just walk right up to her and straddle her thighs. Maybe Helena would instantly grab Dinah’s hips, and then Dinah would—

As seconds passed, Dinah was lost in a daydream and got more excited with the thoughts. She had to find out what Helena would do. 

She decided to start with a shower, because why not start with the whole ploy. She cracked the door of her bedroom open and heard the television still playing whatever show Helena was currently binge-watching. 

“Hey, babe?” Dinah called out. 

“Yeah? You okay?”

Dinah pressed her head against the doorframe. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to Helena being so instantly caring and so instantly protective. She often had to bite her tongue to not ask the other woman to tone it down. Or to jump into her arms like a freakin’ damsel that she sure as shit was not. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” was all Dinah said. “I’m gonna jump in the shower.”

“Don’t jump,” Helena replied. “It’s not safe.”

Dinah paused, contemplating finally telling Helena to cut the shit, when Helena chuckled from the living room. 

“Renee told me to say that.”

Realizing it was a joke, a sarcastic joke, Dinah rolled her eyes and shut her door again. She left her favorite dork in the living room while she showered in her en-suite. 

Dinah emerged from the shower about fifteen minutes later. She dried and moisturized, wanting to get nice and smooth and alluring, then she finally left her bedroom in nothing but a fluffy purple towel. 

“Honey, I’m—“ she dropped the towel early. 

Right as she heard Harley fuckin’ Quinn say, “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Canary!” 

Dinah turned and ran out of the room so fast that she barely had time to notice Helena’s jaw dropped in shock. She barely heard Renee’s absolute howl as she slammed her door shut. She barely made out Harley’s teasing jabs as Helena before she turned her shower back on and wondered if you could actually die from embarrassment. 

* * *

Helena’s mouth was stuck open as she watched where Dinah was once standing. Once standing in the entrance to their living room entirely butt naked. Her towel was still on the floor. 

Renee was laughing hysterically. Harley was asking if they could “share-sies”. But all Helena was thinking about was Dinah. What a surprise. What a five-foot-six-inch, smooth skinned, rich scented surprise. 

She could still feel her cheeks hot and mouth open when Renee finally stepped over and tapped her chin. 

“Let’s get outta here, Quinn,” she said, her voice almost teasing. 

“But I was gonna—“ Harley protested. 

“Give the lovebirds some privacy.”

Harley huffed. “I don’t think we got any secrets anymore, right Killa?”

Renee practically pushed Harley away. Helena was thankful. She couldn’t even get out a goodbye before Renee was dragging Harley out of the apartment, thank god. 

Helena finally went to Dinah’s bedroom about two seconds after Renee and Harley left. Dinah was in a heap, piled under her blankets and half of her ridiculous pillows. Helena could see she had a hood on now peaking out from under one of the blankets. 

“Dinah?” she asked as she entered the room. 

“I’m asleep.”

“You’re not.”

Dinah didn’t answer. Helena chuckled and went to the bed. She leaned on Dinah, on the ridiculous pillows. 

“They’re gone,” Helena tried. 

“Too late.”

“Well, you know, next time you decide to walk out of your room completely naked, let me know and I won’t invite company in.”

“It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“A surprise it was. For many people.”

Dinah groaned. Helena laughed. 

“What made you think to do that, though?” Helena asked, completely curious. Dinah could usually convince Helena of some mid-afternoon hanky-panky, but it usually began at least mostly dressed. 

“Tik-Tok,” Dinah answered. 

“What, Tik-Tok told you to surprise me by being naked?”

“No,” Dinah finally turned over a little bit. “It was just this stupid trend on Tik-Tok. People were walking out and doing that to their significant other, and it had some funny results. The partners were all super surprised. It seemed sexy, I guess. I wanted to see what you would do.”

“Did you expect to find out what Harley and Renee would do?” Helena deadpanned. 

“If I expected it, do you think I would’ve gone out there?!”

“I don’t know! Maybe you were trying to tell me you’re harboring feelings for Renee!” Helena almost smiled. She loved that she’d learned in the past months how to joke and rile Dinah up. 

“Oh my god, are you serious!?”

Helena finally cracked a smile. Dinah seemed to quickly realize she was joking because she playfully punched Helena’s arm. 

“You asshole.” 

Helena took Dinah’s arm and pulled so she could fit almost against Dinah. Many pillows were still in the way, but she did her best. 

“Hey,” she told Dinah, “It was extremely sexy.” 

“Really?” 

Helena nodded. “Absolutely.”

Dinah rose up to give Helena a quick kiss. She rested back on the bed as Helena began tossing pillows aside. 

“We didn’t even get to the best part,” Dinah mock-pouted. 

Helena got rid of the last pillow. “We still can. You have three hours and twenty-seven minutes before you have to be at the club.”

“How the fuck do you know the exact time?”

“Well—“

Dinah shook her head. “You know what? Forget it. Just come here.” She pulled Helena on top of her and while pulling Helena’s head in for a kiss. 

As Helena pulled Dinah’s blankets away and got to work on the zipper of her hoodie, she told Dinah, “You know, you can feel free to try that again literally any time.” 

“Well, what’s the point now that you might expect it? How am I going to get a good reaction from you?”

“Dinah, I can guarantee my reaction to you walking out naked for me is going to be the same no matter my level of surprise.”

Dinah smiled. “I’ll think about it, then.” 

Helena just smiled back, then leaned down to capture Dinah’s lips once again. 


	2. Champagne

“Helena!”

Helena ran through the living room toward the kitchen. She was grabbing the bottle of champagne. It was finally happening. After three weeks of not being able to connect, they wrapped a stakeout early just because they knew it was Cass’ school night, Harley disappeared, and Renee had her own plans. 

Helena thought it completely unfair that Renee was allowed to make plans with someone she didn’t even like half the time, but she hadn’t been close to the person she does like in three weeks. 

“Helena!” 

“I’m coming!” she yelled back. 

“Better not be!” Dinah yelled. “Not yet!” 

She was getting the bed ready. They wanted to waste no time with her multitude of pillows. And she was setting candles. Which was why Helena was adding to the romance by grabbing a bottle of champagne that they’d been saving for a special occasion. 

Finally getting to fuck after three weeks of a dry spell was as special an occasion as either of them could need. 

Helena threw open the cabinets of the kitchen that held cups and plates. There were coffee mugs, Moscow Mule mugs, regular plastic cups (neither Cass nor Harley could be trusted with glass), but no champagne flutes. 

“Where are the champagne flutes?” Helena called out. 

“Fuck the champagne flutes!”

“Not what I’m planning on fucking tonight,” Helena mumbled, peering through the dishwasher that she actually hates. 

They were nowhere to be seen. Where the hell could a couple of champagne flutes—

The sink. They were in the fucking sink, half filled with—what Helena expected to be—apple juice. Helena couldn’t imagine Dinah was using them for apple juice, and she knows she sure as hell wasn’t using them for apple juice. Apparently Harley and Cass were using glass when nobody was around. 

Helena reached for the glasses. She’d just wash them real fast. Two seconds. Very quick—

“Helena! You’re either joining me or watching! You pick!”

Helena tossed the glasses back in the sink. One shattered loudly and she could hear Dinah laugh. Champagne bottle in hand, she practically ran into Dinah’s room, sliding in her socks as she entered the doorway. 

Dinah was leaning back on the few pillows she left on the bed. “Pop it, babe.”

Helena eyed her, looking so hot in her sheets. “Take your shirt off.”

“Deal,” Dinah said, grinning as she sat up to do as she was told. 

Helena twisted the tie on the bottle to work the cork loose as she watched Dinah. When her shirt was happy on the floor, Dinah adjusted her bra to pop her boobs out a little more.

“That good?” she asked. 

The cork popped at the perfect moment. Helena was still dazed, mouth dry, so Dinah chuckled and grabbed the bottle. She took a long swig, then sat up further to kiss Helena. 

“You ready?” Dinah asked as Helena pulled away to take a drink. 

“So fucking ready.” 

Dinah smiled, then she set the bottle on the floor and threw Helena to the bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not all of them are going to lead to sex. I don’t think. Thanks for reading!


	3. Hormones

Helena was in absolute, complete agony. After suppressing so many feelings and _hormones_ during her teen years, in her late 20’s they were deeply flooding back. With vengeance. 

And it was awful. She felt horrible all the time, and what was worse is that she knew the exact reason. It made her angry, that she couldn’t control her body as she once could, that she’d gotten away from even herself because of this. one. thing. 

Dinah freakin’ Lance. 

She was all Helena ever thought about. And it made her so. fucking. horny. 

All the time. 

It was terrible. 

After having felt Dinah, tasted her, slept in her bed, her feelings were worse than when she had a basic crush on the Canary. She missed Dinah all the time. She wanted to touch her constantly. She wanted to taste Dinah, hear her moan, she wanted to freakin’ smell Dinah. 

It was so goddamn terrible. 

Helena could control it. For the most part. Like, she could act cool in front of Dinah. She didn’t fall all over the girl. She didn’t, like, reach out and stroke Dinah’s locks or anything. She was cool. 

She was still super wound up all the time. If Dinah whispered in her ear, got close to reach around Helena, or even just smiled at her, Helena would absolutely melt. 

Helena took it out on a punching bag. Sometimes she shot at things, but not often since Renee got a tip off that they were on GCPD’s radar. Helena did a record number of push ups and installed a pull-up bar on her bedroom door. It was almost enough to feel better.

But finally, Helena’s hormones managed to snap. In the middle of a fight, no less. 

It wasn’t a big fight. Not really. And it wasn’t just the fight. There was a kid being assaulted in a alley on their way home, so Helena immediately ran over and got between the kid and the assailant. She took the bigger brute down in four kicks as Dinah pulled the kid aside and asked where he needed to go, asked if he had a phone to call someone. After the guy was down, Helena gave him one hard punch to knock him out. Then, Dinah pulled Helena away before she could keep hitting the guy, with a soft, “Easy, killer.” to calm her down. So, all-in-all, really, it wasn’t just her hormones. It was also the assault against a kid. 

They got the boy home and headed in the direction of their home. The two women walked in silence, Helena thinking about the fight and her issues and why she blew up like that and Dinah and Dinah’s arms and Dinah’s neck and Dinah’s legs and Dinah’s lips and Dinah was right there so why was it all so terrible?! She could take Dinah home right now and get her into bed. If Dinah was willing. So why did Helena feel like she’d burst if she didn’t touch Dinah?

“‘Kay,” Dinah finally cracked first. “What’s your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem,” Helena snapped. 

Dinah glanced at her at the corner of her eye. 

“Fine,” Helena conceded. “I have a...problem. But it...it’s nothing.”

“Baby, you know you can tell me anything.”

Helena bit her lips. 

“Did I do something?”

“No!” Helena answered very quickly. “No, you don’t do anything. You’re...you’re perfect.”

Dinah cracked a smile. “Okay, flattery. Did you do something?”

“No!”

“Did you drop my face wash down the sink again?”

“I replaced it!”

Dinah chuckled. “Honey, just tell me.”

So, Helena finally just blurted out, “I’m attracted to you.”

Dinah practically snorted. 

“It’s not funny!”

“It’s not? Babe...” Dinah grabbed Helena’s arm. “You know I’m your girlfriend, right?”

“I know, I know! And that’s...that’s great. Wonderful. It’s just that I...”

Dinah waited, but Helena couldn’t explain it. What could she say? Watching you kick ass made me moan yesterday?

“You?” Dinah asked. 

Helena sighed. “I want you. All the time. I constantly want to touch you and suck you and I want to...”

Dinah was staring. “Want to, what?”

Helena didn’t notice they’d stopped in the street. They were well away from other bystanders, so Helena said, “I want to make you come. All the time. And I want to come. All the time.”

Dinah’s jaw slightly dropped open. “So, I’m making you horny?”

“Yes!” Helena cried. 

Dinah slowly smiled until it grew to cover half of her face. 

“What?!” Helena asked. 

“I make you horny.”

“I take it back.”

“You don’t.”

“I will.”

“I don’t have to have sex tonight.”

Helena frowned. 

“Just kidding,” Dinah said, “I wouldn’t do that to myself.”

Helena ran a hand through her hair. “What do I do? I can’t just keep you in bed all day. And what if you’re gone? At the club? When I go to bed before you even get home?”

Dinah pushed Helena’s hair back. “Aw, baby. You didn’t learn to jack off at that convent you lived in?”

“It wasn’t a convent!” Helena instantly cried. “Wait, I mean, no! I wasn’t...like this. Ever. I’ve never felt this way.”

Dinah grabbed Helena’s shoulders and groaned. “God, I love that you’re like this for me. I’ve never been with anyone who I knew just...liked me so much.”

Helena eyes softened and looked at Dinah through her eyelashes. “I more than like you, Dinah.”

Dinah rubbed circles on Helena’s skin with her thumbs. “I more than like you too, babe. And I’m sorry I can’t help you with this problem. We can’t fuck constantly.”

Helena’s eyes grew at the thought. 

“We can’t,” Dinah insisted. 

Helena nodded.

Dinah’s hands trailed up to cup Helena’s cheeks. “I do know I can just...more than like you enough. I hope. Do I do that?”

Helena nodded. 

“And as for,” Dinah glanced down at Helena’s crotch, “That. I can do what I can.” 

Helena glanced down. Dinah’s blouse was open and the view was too much for the middle of the street. 

Dinah leaned forward and kissed Helena. They lightly made out for slow minutes until they realized they were on the street. 

Dinah licked her lips as they parted. Helena leaned in to chase her back. 

Dinah smirked. “Come on, Killer. Let’s get you home.”

She stepped away from Helena, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down the street. 

In the following days, Helena realized maybe she just needed to tell Dinah how she felt. Her feelings seemed to cool slightly after. And she felt a lot better about her hormones. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said they weren’t all going to lead to sex! But! I have the prompts numbered and I’m doing a random number generator every day. So far it just wants the almost-sex. Anyway, hope you enjoy.


	4. Perfect

Helena was...peculiar. That’s the word Dinah chose to describe her bad-ass, assassin girlfriend. She was peculiar. 

She wasn’t weird. Dinah wouldn’t ever use weird. Weird sounds negative. Weird makes it sound like Dinah is putting her down for the way she is; making fun of her. 

Helena is just peculiar. Interesting. She’s a lot of things that makes her unique and wonderful. She has many little quirks that Dinah knows about and caters to, or avoids. Like, Helena hates pepperoni touching the vegetables on pizza. So, when Dinah orders, she asks for that special request. Helena also likes to sleep with exactly one pillow fluffed in a specific way. And she likes to make the bed as soon as she exits it every morning, even if Dinah is still in it. Even if it is Dinah’s bed. But Dinah has learned to adjust. She moves her abundance of pillows from the bed if they sleep in it and she has one that is Helena’s pillow only, just like the one in her own bedroom. 

Dinah thinks she’s done a good job of learning about Helena and that she does her best not to mess anything up. Helena is understanding if Dinah doesn’t get it right away. She did get mad at first. Furious if something was moved or different. But, as Dinah has learned, Helena was learned to chill. She tells Dinah that she has learned that not everyone lives in her head and has her vision. Plus, they’ve both learned an important lesson in apologizing, which neither ever did or had growing up. 

But there was one thing that Helena didn’t open up to with Dinah. 

Her bathroom. 

Having separate en suites in the ridiculously nice apartment that Helena bought for them was awesome. Dinah liked having her own space as much as the next girl. And so did Helena. She got that. But she got so tired of having to leave the entire room to go to the bathroom after doin’ it. She didn’t argue with Helena, or make her let Dinah in, not after she first reached for the doorknob and Helena jumped out of bed and stepped in the way. Dinah didn’t even realize she was up, she’s so sneaky. But either way, Dinah’s never tried to enter the room again. 

It did drive her nuts, though. What was in there? What was Helena hiding? Was she hiding anything? Possibly. Is her bathroom dirty? Unlikely. Did she just not want Dinah to dirty it? Eh. Maybe. 

Dinah remembered not to go into Helena’s bathroom. 

Until that night. One night, around 3 in the morning after a night at the club, she woke after an hour’s deep sleep and needed to pee. Without thinking, or realizing what she was doing, she walked into Helena’s bathroom and just...went. 

She didn’t seem to open her eyes until she was done. Until she reached for the toilet paper and it wasn’t there. Confused, she opened her eyes and looked around. 

At first she wasn’t sure where she was, but finally she realized she was in Helena’s bathroom. And she only knew it was Helena’s bathroom because Helena’s usual pajamas—not the bralette she slept in after a very good night—were neatly folded on a stool next to the shower. 

Dinah cursed in her head. Maybe she could get out of there without Helena noticing. She could just finish up and slip back into bed. Helena wouldn’t even notice. 

Or...

Dinah did finish. Then, she looked around. What was Helena hiding? Everything looked normal. She had a gray shower curtain that had black polka dots on it. She had three purple towels hanging on three separate hooks over the stool holding her perfectly folded pajamas. 

The sink was pristine. There was a soap bottle next to the faucet and a single hand towel folded neatly next to the bowl. Everything smelled clean, too. Like cleaner. Like Helena just cleaned her bathroom. Dinah needed to clean her bathroom. 

So where was Helena’s stuff? Toothpaste? Brush? Her makeup? Dinah’s shit was all over the sink, her toiletries on half and makeup on half. 

Okay, Dinah realized how messy she was. Maybe that’s why Helena didn’t want her in the bathroom. She didn’t want Dinah to dirty it up. Which was...fair. 

Dinah opened Helena’s medicine cabinet and—holy shit—everything was in there, all of Helena’s toiletries, and they were meticulously placed in alphabetical order. Everything looked perfect. More perfect than placement at a store or something. It was actually gorgeous. Like art. 

Dinah opened the cabinet under the sink. Everything there was perfectly placed, too. On one half there were cleaning supplies lined up by size and on the other side there were more perfectly folded towels. 

Finally, Dinah opened the drawers on the cabinet. There, Helena’s makeup was lined up by usage. A few eye liners, a few mascaras, a few lipsticks, and everything else from moisturizer to setting spray. It was amazing. 

Dinah knew Helena was peculiar. She knew Helena needed everything perfect. She just didn’t know...the extent of how perfect. 

Dinah made sure nothing was out of place before she finally opened the door to the bedroom. 

And stepped right into Helena. 

“Jesus fuck!” Dinah cried, Helena scaring her. 

“What are you doing?” Helena asked, unmoving. 

“I...just had to pee.”

“I asked you not to come in here.”

Helena pushed past Dinah and Dinah could tell she was pissed. She hoped she didn’t fuck up just because she needed to pee. Helena began to look through everything Dinah had, and it took Dinah a second to realize she was checking if everything was in place.

“I...I mean,” Dinah started, “Why, though? What’s the big deal?”

“I just want it the same, okay?”

“Baby, I didn’t even touch anything!”

“Yeah, but you saw!”

Dinah was so confused. “What?”

Helena sighed and stood up straight. “I didn’t want you to see it.”

Dinah frowned. “What?!”

“I didn’t want you to think I’m a freak! I need everything perfect, Dinah. It...it drives me nuts. And I know that’s insane, that I wouldn’t even let my girlfriend into my bathroom because I didn’t want her to mess it up. I get it, okay? I know I am a freak. I just didn’t want you to know.”

Dinah’s heart burst. She never wanted Helena to feel uncomfortable by her condition, by her brain. Dinah knew, and Dinah understood. She just wanted Helena to be comfortable enough with her. 

Helena was scowling, and it was so cute. She looked like a mad little puppy. 

“You are so fucking cute,” Dinah said. 

“I am not cute!” Helena cried. “I mean, what?”

“Baby! I don’t think you’re a freak! I could never think you’re a freak. Ever. You are incredible and everything you’ve overcome is amazing. You’re allowed to be any way your brain is, babe, and all I want to do is help you feel okay. Can I do that?”

Helena was tearing up, Dinah could tell. She wiped an eye and sniffled. 

“I don’t want you to cry,” Dinah said. “I’m sorry I came in here. I really didn’t meant to. I was more than half asleep. And I won’t ever come in here again, I promise.”

Helena shook her head. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable in your own house. When I was little...” she shrugged. “There was a room I couldn’t go into at my house. It was my dad’s office. I snuck in once and got in trouble for doing it. I was scared after that. I don’t want you to be scared to simply enter a room.”

Dinah nodded. “I won’t mess anything up.”

Helena shook her head again. “It’s okay. I’m trying to be better.”

Dinah stepped forward and rubbed Helena’s arm. “That makes it sound like you’re bad. You’re not. Not ever.”

Helena wiped her eye again. 

“Come here,” Dinah said, pulling Helena to her. 

Helena easily went. Her arms went around Dinah’s waist and Dinah’s arms went around Helena’s neck. Dinah hugged her tight. Helena buried her face in Dinah’s neck. 

“Don’t worry, baby,” Dinah said. 

Helena let out a shaky breath. Dinah kissed her temple. 

“Let’s go back to bed,” Dinah whispered. 

Helena nodded. “That’s probably for the best. You’re messing up the tread on my rug.”

Dinah laughed. Truly laughed. She loved laughing because of Helena. 

She took Helena’s face in her hands. “You’re so fucking cute.”

“I said I’m not cute,” Helena told her, but she looked soft and tired. 

“You’re so cute.”

“I’ve killed people.”

“Even cuter.”

Helena finally chuckled. “You’re fucked up.”

“Really, Dewey Decimal System?”

Helena fully laughed. “Oh, you are making fun of me now?”

“I’m just joking, honey. I won’t ever make fun of you for real.”

“I know, Dinah. I trust you with my secrets.”

Dinah kissed Helena’s forehead. “Let’s go to bed.”

Helena kissed Dinah’s lips soundly. Dinah sighed into her mouth, playing with the hairs at the back of Helena’s head. 

They finally parted to go back to bed. And, before she exited the bathroom, Dinah noticed Helena fix the tread on the rug. She just cracked a smile and didn’t say anything. 


	5. Phone Sex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is smut. And admittedly I’ve never written F/F smut, so...it may be...over the top? Anyway, hope it’s okay. Thanks for reading!

It wasn’t often that Dinah and Helena were apart. Since meeting, moving in together a week later, and beginning their romance a month after that, there really wasn’t time to be apart. Even if Dinah had a shift at the club, Helena would usually tag along. A pretty singer-slash-bartender and free drinks was plenty motivation to do so.

But finally, a lead led the team to Metropolis. Since Renee didn’t trust airplanes and Dinah was the only Bird with a real job, Helena was selected to go. Which was fine. She didn’t mind getting away, but she did mind leaving Dinah. 

Still, Dinah insisted she was fine, that Helena herself would be fine, so she went for a work week. 

Five days was a long time. Since Helena actually knew what a home felt like again, she felt homesick pretty quickly. And she missed Dinah. She felt lonely, despite living most of her life alone. She missed having someone to share everything with, even though most of her day was spent texting Dinah with all the shit she saw in Metropolis. Gotham might have psycho clowns and the mafia, but Metropolis had its own fuckin’ problems. Helena felt a little bit of pride in thinking her city was better. 

Plus, her city had the single greatest person to ever exist: Dinah Lance. 

On the third night, at three in the morning when Helena was finally settling in her hotel room, her phone rang. She picked it up instantly, somehow knowing it was Dinah. With the time difference, Dinah must have gotten off work. Helena answered it as she was stripping off her coat. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, honey,” Dinah said, sounding tired and sweet. 

“Long night?” Helena got right into it. 

“Yeah, you know. Lots of customers. Lots of tips.”

Since Sionis wasn’t running the club anymore, the new owner—a really cool woman who bought it—hired Dinah as a bartender as well as the singer. It paid a lot more and Dinah liked it as much as singing. 

“What are you doing? How’d your night go?” Dinah asked. 

“It was fine. I followed the guy to a bar where he met with another guy and—“ Helena dropped her phone because she was trying to take her pants off to get ready for bed. “Hang on!” she yelled, hoping Dinah could hear her. 

She picked up her phone and sat on the bed, pants around her knees. “Dinah?”

Dinah was laughing. “What the fuck?”

“I dropped my phone.”

“What are you doing?”

Helena grunted, struggling. “Getting ready for bed.”

“No, what are you doing?”

“Taking off my pants.”

“Mmm,” Dinah sighed. “So what are you wearing?”

“Underwear and a crop top. Same as usual.”

Dinah sighed again, sounding pleased. “Gonna take your top off?”

Why was Dinah asking?

“I mean, yeah,” Helena said. 

“Are you wearing a bra?”

“Yes...”

“Gonna take that off?”

“Dinah, why are you asking?”

Dinah laughed. “Haven’t you ever heard of phone sex?”

“What?”

“You know, talking to each other and getting off together. Over the phone.”

“What? You mean—“

“Masturbating, yes, honey.”

Helena’s cheeks heated up. She’d never even thought of it. Or needed to, really. She was always with Dinah. 

“I had it in mind when I called but I was going to ease you into it,” Dinah said. 

“Wait, you called for sex? Not to check on me?”

“Well, that too—“

“Did you call just for sex?”

“Well—“

“If you called to get off to my voice I’m hanging up.”

“Come on! Fine, let’s just talk.”

Helena continued getting undressed to get ready for bed. 

Dinah continued, though. “I won’t tell you what I’m wearing.”

Curiosity—and hormones, really—caused Helena to pause. “What are you wearing?”

“Don’t ask.”

Helena frowned. “But I...”

“You, what?”

“I want to know.”

“Really?”

Helena’s imagination was running wild. She could be wearing her clothes from the club still, which was fantastic. She always wore cute bralettes and tight pants that Helena loved. Or she could be in pajamas already, which was always an oversized t-shirt and usually a pair of Helena’s boxers, which was more sexy than Helena ever thought imaginable. Basically, whatever Dinah wore was hot. 

“Yes, please,” Helena said. 

“I’m not wearing anything.”

Helena’s has dropped. “Are you serious?”

“And I’m in your bed.”

Helena groaned. 

“Now what do you think about phone sex?” Dinah asked. 

Helena bit her lip. It seemed embarrassing, but the thought of Dinah naked in her bed seemed too much.

“Fine,” she said. 

She could hear Dinah smirk. “Take your panties off. And get in bed.”

“Hang on,” Helena said. Helena quickly did so. She got completely naked too, following Dinah’s lead. 

When she was ready, she picked up her phone again. “‘Kay.”

“I bet you feel good in the bed,” Dinah said, “Not as good as I feel, because your sheets are fucking divine, but I bet it feels nice. Tell me how it feels.”

It didn’t feel that great. Dinah was right, and these sheets were sandpaper compared to hers. Both of theirs, even though Dinah’s weren’t nearly as high a thread count. Still, her skin was well moisturized so she felt good. 

“It feels alright,” Helena said. “Not as good as if I was with you.”

“I know, honey. The bed feels too big without you.”

Helena agreed. 

“So, since you feel all nice,” Dinah said, “Go ahead and run your fingers over your thighs.”

Helena did, the same way Dinah did to tease her. She imagined Dinah’s fingers instead of her own. 

“Now,” Dinah added, “Up to your abs. God, your abs are good, babe. I’ve never been an ab girl but I love getting to see yours all the time with your sexy little crop tops.”

Helena wouldn’t consider any of her clothes sexy, not compared to what Dinah wore on a normal day. But, Helena figured she saw Dinah’s point. Helena’s midriff was usually showing. She didn’t like t-shirts and loose clothes because they never made for her easy movement in a fight. The loosest she wore were her jackets, and even those were cinched at the bottoms to be more form fitting. 

Helena traced her abs the way Dinah did when they were both in bed and out. Dinah usually touched Helena in some way, and running her knuckles over Helena’s muscle was a way Dinah clearly loved. 

“Are you topless?” Dinah asked. 

Helena was embarrassed, but she said, “Yes.”

Dinah moaned. “Oh fuck baby, your tits...”

Helena didn’t see the appeal of her own body. Dinah’s body was to fuckin’ die for—almost literally. Helena couldn’t count how many times she shot someone because they hit Dinah, even though Dinah pretty much chose for it to happen when she ran into a fight with Helena. 

“Rub one for me,” Dinah said. 

Again, Helena didn’t see the appeal, and it occurred to her later that Dinah would have had no idea if she actually did it, but Helena did it anyway. She lightly touched one nipple until it hardened. 

“How does that feel?” Dinah asked. “I’m doing it, too.”

“Feels good,” Helena didn’t lie. It really felt okay. It felt better when Dinah did it, or did it with her tongue, but Helena didn’t hate it. 

“I’m imagining you’re doing it,” Dinah said. “I’m rubbing my chest and squeezing like you do. You like a handful, don’t you?”

Helena nodded, then realized belatedly that Dinah couldn’t see her. 

Dinah continued anyway. “I want to kiss your neck and suck on your ear the way you like.”

Helena almost felt it, since it’s happened so memorably. Dinah’s sucked her ear while she orgasmed enough times to commit it to memory. 

“I want to kiss down your whole body ‘til I can kiss your cunt.”

Helena loved the sound of that. And she loved that Dinah was being so open. She loved listening to Dinah say what she wants to do to her. How bad Dinah wanted her. 

She didn’t get it sometimes. Helena didn’t really know what Dinah saw in her. She didn’t know that she could ever be enough for Dinah, what Dinah wanted for a long time, or that she could keep Dinah interested. 

“Do something for me now, baby,” Dinah’s voice rang over the phone. “Imagine me when you touch yourself.”

Helena didn’t quite understand. She was touching herself, this whole time. 

“Touch my—“

“Touch your pussy, baby. Are you wet for me?”

Helena was definitely there, she knew it. She had a fire down below and needed Dinah to soothe. 

“Spread your legs,” Dinah said. 

Helena’s fingers were trailing down herself. She did as she was told. 

Dinah moaned. Loud. As loud as she would if they were together, if it was Helena’s fingers pleasuring her. She was always loud in bed. She was always let Helena know it was good or offer feedback to let Helena know what to do differently. 

“Are you...” Helena began, her fingers reaching the top of her lips. 

“Yeah babe,” Dinah sighed, “Thinking of you, of your fingers and your tongue. God, I want to fuck you so bad, baby. I want you to fuck me.”

Helena’s fingers slipped below and found wet. She wasted no time before running a finger over her clit and sighing into the phone, too. 

“Oh god, you’re gonna kill me...” Dinah mumbled. “I need you, Helena...”

Helena rubbed herself almost roughly. She needed to come. She needed Dinah to come. 

Helena’s back arched off the bed. She never would have thought masturbation could be so good before Dinah. She never even thought of it before she had someone to actually imagine. And once Dinah gave her permission to imagine, if Dinah wasn’t home it was pretty easy to do so. 

There were broken moans and sighs over the phone. Dinah was louder, naturally, because she always was. But, she was also secure in Helena’s bed, not a hotel room with someone potentially right on the other side of the wall. 

Helena focused on Dinah’s heavy breathing and breathy moans, but she wanted to hear Dinah’s words. 

“Talk to me, Dinah...” Helena begged. 

“Now who’s getting off to a voice,” Dinah said, probably smirking. 

“Dinah...” Helena groaned. 

“Mmm, fuck,” Dinah sighed then, “I like hearing that. My name from your lips. I make you feel good, don’t I?”

Helena nodded. “Yeah...”

“I can make you come. Only me, huh?”

“Only you, ever...”

“I know how to touch you right. I know how to suck your tits and finger your pussy ‘til you scream for me. Isn’t that right?”

Helena nodded again. 

“Are you going to come for me now, honey? Come on your own fingers?”

Helena nodded a third time. It was going to happen, any second—

“Tell me,” Dinah whispered. 

“I’m going to come,” Helena said. 

“Because of me.”

“Always because of you.”

Dinah cried out. Loud. Helena knew she was fucking coming, on her sheets, and the vision and memory tipped Helena over. She followed Dinah not a second later, her hips tipping off the bed and her fingers toying rapidly with clit, the way Dinah had countless times to her before. 

It took Helena a second of heavy breathing and completely blacked out vision to snap out of it. She blinked her eyes open and saw an ugly hotel ceiling above her. 

“Helena?” Dinah’s voice was in her ear. “You there?” 

“Yeah,” Helena muttered, then cleared her throat. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“You okay?” Dinah asked, all concern. 

“Yes,” Helena said, “Are you?”

Dinah chuckled. “I am more than okay, baby. That was incredible.”

“Mmm,” Helena sighed, reaching for discarded clothing to wipe her hands. 

“Was it not okay?” Dinah asked with concern. 

Of course she would be worried she took things too far, she always was. Helena wished Dinah didn’t have to walk on eggshells around her. She wished Dinah didn’t see her as a ticking time bomb. 

“No, it was fine!” Helena cried. “Wonderful, even. Not as good as the real thing, but. You know. Still good.”

Dinah sighed. “Good. You tell me if I take someone too far, okay?”

Helena always did. “Of course.”

“Mmkay. You’re amazing, honey. Even when it’s not really you.”

Helena did chuckle at that. “I didn’t really contribute.”

“Maybe it was all me, then.” There was a smirk in her voice. How did she do that? How was Dinah so expressive?

“Always you,” Helena said, sitting up in bed. She needed a shower. And clean clothes. 

“I miss you,” Dinah said next. 

“Apparently,” Helena joked. 

Dinah laughed. “Okay, ha-ha, I’m desperate for you.”

Helena thought the contrary. She was desperate for Dinah Lance. 

Helena wanted to say that. She wanted to say she was desperate for Dinah, that she...

That she loved Dinah. 

But she couldn’t let the first time she said the words to anyone in her adult life be after some phone sex in a stupid Metropolis hotel. 

Instead, Helena said, “I miss you, too.”

“I know,” Dinah said, a smile still in her voice. “I’ll see you soon. I’ll pick you up from the airport.”

“You don’t have to. I know you have a shift the night before and you’ll be tired—“

“Helena,” Dinah said in the voice that needed no argument. “I’ll pick you up. I’ll be there.”

Helena nodded. “Okay.” She trusted that Dinah would be. She felt thrilled that Dinah would be. 

Helena got to the bathroom and turned the shower on. 

“You’re getting in the shower?” Dinah asked. 

“Yeah.”

Dinah chuckled. “Round two?”

Helena rolled her eyes. “You are desperate.”

“I can’t help it. Imagining you all steamy and hot, god babe...”

“Alright, Canary, you have fun without me. I’m going to clean up.”

“Have fun...” Dinah teased. 

“You too,” Helena said, not really joking. Knowing Dinah would undoubtedly continue her fun. 

“I’m going to snuggle up on your side of the bed.”

Helena paused. “You won’t.” 

“Bet.”

Helena was silent. Dinah wouldn’t intentionally mess up her side of the bed. And maybe she could lay on it. Just not use her pillow. Dinah knows. 

“It smells like you,” Dinah said. “Your bed and your towels and your laundry. God, baby, I miss you so much.”

Helena frowned. “I really miss you.”

“Don’t leave me any more.”

“I don’t want to.”

“That’s all I want to hear.”

Helena didn’t know if she’d ever have to leave town again. But she could at least not wish to. 

Maybe one day they can go on a vacation. Maybe Helena can take Dinah to Sicily to see the estate where she grew up. Dinah would think it was beautiful, probably. 

“Hey,” Dinah said. “Take your shower and get some sleep.”

“You too.”

“Call me tomorrow. I don’t care if I’m asleep.”

“Okay,” Helena said. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, honey.”

“Goodnight, Dinah.”

Dinah hung up first. Helena tossed her phone on the counter and stepped into the shower. 

Somehow, she missed Dinah even more. 


	6. Birthday

Helena’s birthday arrived suddenly. 

Dinah, of course, didn’t know when it was. She never asked people and it was just something she learned about people along the way. They’d only known each other a short time, so it hadn’t come up yet. 

Dinah drove Helena to the Gotham DMV to get a valid U.S. license. She had a motorcycle license and didn’t understand why Dinah insisted she get a regular driver’s license. She claimed that she didn’t drive a car that she never needed to anyway. Dinah countered withmany points, including their favorite bars would probably eventually stop accepting the motorcycle license, that she’d need to drive Dinah’s car if there ever were an emergency, and that she would need a valid I.D for literally everything else in life. 

Helena finally conceded. Dinah went into the building with her, too, and sat right next to her. 

They’d only been together for about two weeks, and it was so new that Dinah was nervous about impeding in something that might be private to anyone else, but Helena asked for her to stay right next to her. 

And that’s how Dinah found out that Helena’s birthday was literally the following day. On top of that, Dinah didn’t even realize what freakin’ day it was. 

“A Valentine’s Day birthday?” the DMV worker said when she looked over Helena’s information.

Dinah’s gaze snapped up to look at Helena. 

“Well, happy early birthday!” the woman added. 

Helena forced a smile and glanced at Dinah. “Thanks.”

Dinah was stunned and still staring. Shit. Not only was it Valentine’s Day, which she didn’t even realize, it was also Helena’s birthday.

“Any special plans for you two?”

“Uh,” Helena answered because Dinah was stuck. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Well, you two will find something, I’m sure.”

Helena gave another smile. 

They were silent the entire ride home. Dinah didn’t know what to say. Should she have known? Should she ask why Helena didn’t tell

her? She’s never told Helena her birthday, either, but it’s not fuckin’ tomorrow. 

When they got back to the apartment, Dinah decided she needed to do something. She knew Helena was going on a call with Renee that evening, and Dinah was going to miss because of a shift at the club. Maybe she could trade shifts and do something special for Helena to arrive home to after midnight, that way it was actually the day of her birthday.

Jesus Christ, what would Dinah do, though? She still hardly knew Helena. She knew Helena liked actually good wine and cheap liquor if they were desperate. She knew Helena liked well prepared pasta. But what would Dinah do? She couldn’t afford good wine and couldn’t make food to save her life. 

She could follow easy instructions, though. Probably. She could probably make, like, at least a cake. Everyone deserved a cake on their birthday. 

That was her plan. While Helena was gone, Dinah would make a crappy boxed cake with purple frosting. 

She texted Renee with her plan to make sure Renee would keep Helena out until after midnight. She asked Renee not to get up to anything crazy, but to just keep Helena occupied for a few hours. 

Around nine o’clock, Helena got dressed to leave. Dinah began checking their kitchen for oil and eggs, since those were two primary ingredients in boxed cake. They had both thankfully, so all Dinah needed was the mix itself. 

“I’m gonna go,” Helena said behind Dinah as she was looking through cabinets for a cake pan. 

Dinah jumped and shut the cabinet quickly. 

“What are you doing?” Helena asked. 

“Nothing.”

Helena eyed her suspiciously. “Alright. What time are you leaving?”

Dinah checked the time on her phone. “Half an hour,” she lied, since she switched shifts with another bartender. 

Helena nodded. “‘Kay. Be careful.”

“You too.”

They stood awkwardly in the kitchen. Their relationship was so new that Dinah knew Helena was also wondering what the etiquette of leaving one another was. Kiss?

Handshake? High-five?

Thankfully, Helena made the decision. She stepped up to Dinah, placed a hand on her waist, and kissed her. 

Dinah melted. She knew she was probably going to melt from the sweet kisses for a long time. 

Helena stepped away first, completely fleeing the kitchen and the apartment. Dinah was used to Helena avoiding sensitive moments. She got it, and she was fine with it. Besides, she had stuff to do, too. 

Dinah quickly ran to their nearest grocery store. Being in a new, nice neighborhood, it was one of those stores that Cass considered “fancy”. The first time she took Cass to the store, Cass was shocked Dinah was going to pay. Dinah told her Harley had a bad influence on her. 

At the store, there was a flower department that had birthday balloons and things. So, I’m addition to the cake mix and frosting, Dinah got balloons, candles, and streamers. Helena was turning twenty-eight, so she got a big two and a big eight balloon. She also got a red Valentine balloon. She hoped it was grand enough to show she cared but not too grand that Helena was extremely uncomfortable. 

Dinah rushed home and got baking. She wasn’t the world’s worst cook, but she wasn’t wonderful, either. Eggshells got in the mix that she had to fish out, and powder mix did end up on the counter. Oh well. 

The cake made its way into the oven. She set her timer for the exact time it needed. 

Dinah busied herself with cleaning up while the cake finished. She changed her sheets and threw the dirty ones in the washer, she folded clothes that needed folding, and she cleaned up the living room a little bit. Eventually, her timer went off, so she took out the cake. 

She knew enough to let the cake cool a little bit before trying to take it out of the pan. After about ten minutes of it sitting on the counter, she flipped the cake over and tried to put it on a plate. 

It got stuck in the pan. 

“Fuck!” Dinah cried, realizing she forgot to grease the pan. 

Okay, she thought. She could do this. Carefully, she scraped as much of the cake out that she could and plated it. It laid in a messy, broken heap on the plate. 

She hoped Helena wouldn’t care. Or that she would care that Dinah tried. Dinah couldn’t just throw it out. She wanted to do something nice. 

She checked her phone. She still had a little while until Renee said they’d be back just after midnight. 

Dinah figured she’d better attempt to frost the monstrosity. It was pretty cool and couldn’t possibly get uglier, so she got a knife and got to work. 

And then, she realized it could get uglier. The frosting melted a bit on the warmest parts, making it run onto the plate. It was completely awful, just a little messy. A lot messy. 

Okay, it was terrible. 

Again, Dinah knew she couldn’t just throw it out. Instead, she stuck twenty-eight candles into it, set it up next to the balloons, and sat on the couch to eagerly wait. 

Dinah was impatient. She told Renee to bring Helena home as soon as possible. Renee didn’t reply, so she hoped everything was alright. She couldn’t call Helena because Helena thought she was at work. So, more nervous than she was about the surprise, she was nervous that the women got up to something dangerous and she didn’t know. 

A little while after midnight turned into an hour. An hour to two. Dinah called Renee over and over and had no answer. She even called Harley, but Harley hadn’t heard from them. 

There was nothing Dinah could do, and she grew exhausted in her wait, so she drifted to sleep on the couch. 

—-

It felt like minutes later that she was awakened by a gentle poke on the arm. 

“Dinah?” 

Dinah’s eyes shot open. “Hey.”

Helena gave a little smile. Her eyes looked soft and tired, but her face was red with a cut on her lip and eyebrow. Dinah quickly sat up. 

“What happened?”

Helena shrugged. “Just a little fight with the guys at the docks. Nothing we couldn’t handle. What have you been up to?” She looked at the kitchen island where her surprise was waiting. 

Dinah looked at it, too. Fuck, she was supposed to actually surprise Helena with it. 

“Surprise,” Dinah weakly offered. 

Helena was smiling, though. A small smile, yes. Bashful, nervous. But she didn’t look like she wanted to flee or anything. 

“You did that for me?”

“No, I bought that shitty ass cake at the grocery store.”

Helena chuckled. “Well,” she lifted Dinah’s hands and kissed them. “Thank you.”

It was so soft and sweet. Dinah kissed Helena quickly, then Helena pulled Dinah off the couch to go to the kitchen. 

“Now,” Dinah said, “Clearly I suck at this, so I won’t make a habit of it. I just wanted to do something nice for you. To make up for not knowing it was your birthday.”

Helena shrugged. “It’s alright. Even if you didn’t find out, I wouldn’t have been mad.”

“Yeah, but I should know. Even though I couldn’t have known. You don’t know mine.”

“April tenth.”

Dinah looked at her. “How did you—“

“I...checked your driver’s license the day after we started going out.”

“What?! Why?!”

“Because that’s a pretty shitty thing to not know about your girlfriend, Dinah.”

Dinah knew Helena was joking, so she rolled her eyes. “Well, if you’d had a grown up driver’s license, I could have done the same.”

Helena was smiling so beautifully. Dinah loved joking with her so much. She loved that Helena was comfortable with her. 

“Now,” Helena said, “Are we going to eat this...beautiful thing?”

“You’re a dick,” Dinah said, laughing. She pulled a lighter from the drawer next to them and lit all the candles. “Hang on, this may take a while.”

“Oh please, you’re less than two months younger than me.”

“Whatever, oldie. Today we are officially not the same age. You’re my sexy older lover.”

“Ew, please don’t ever say that again.”

Dinah finally finished with the candles. She set the lighter down and sang. Helena smiled nervously until the end, then she blew out the candles. 

“What did you wish for?” Dinah asked. 

“Now Dinah, I may not have had many birthday cakes as a kid, but I do know you don’t tell what you wished for or else it won’t come true.”

Dinah let out a big laugh. “Gee, sorry. You’re right.”

“I think it’ll come true anyway,” Helena said, pulling Dinah close and kissing her soundly, her tongue tracing Dinah’s lip until Dinah let her in with a groan. 

Dinah tasted metal from the cut on Helena’s lip, but she didn’t care. Kissing her felt way to good. Dinah hoped that no matter how long they were together, she never got used to kisses. 

They parted to breathe, their foreheads pressed together still. Dinah reached for the cake, swiped a finger through the frosting, then brought her finger to Helena’s lips. Helena sucked Dinah’s finger clean while maintaining eye contact. Dinah pulled her finger free with a pop. 

“Wow,” Helena said, “That’s not wonderful. I mean, I appreciate it, but that is so sweet.”

“Well, I put a lot of effort into it. So you have to eat the whole damn thing.”

Helena looked at the pathetic little thing. “I...may have an idea.”

Dinah lifted an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind, killer?”

“That frosting may taste better off...other parts...of you...”

Dinah couldn’t believe her ears. Her girlfriend was a virgin until two weeks ago. “I’ve corrupted you.”

“So, is that a no?”

“Oh, that’s a fuck yes, meet me in my room in two minutes.”

Helena grinned. Dinah left her grasp and rushed to her room, wanting to wash up a bit before Helena joined with the cake that was turning out a lot better than Dinah could have hoped. 

The sugary substance did, in fact, end up tasting a lot better off certain salty parts of Helena’s skin, even if they ended up sticky in the end. Still, it was totally worth it, and great way to begin two amazing holidays. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	7. Scared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst! But it turns out okay.
> 
> Prompt: “You being scared of me would kill me.”

Helena is always purposefully aware of herself. She had to be. She had to be aware of where her darts were going when they were flying towards the criminals. She couldn’t afford to hit anyone innocent, especially a member of her team. 

She was also aware of herself in more ways than her surroundings. She was aware of her body and mind, too. She was aware of how hard she needed to hit someone to knock them out. She was aware of when to stop hitting someone. She was aware of staying as calm as she could during a fight. 

But sometimes, some things couldn’t be helped. Like three giant brutes cornering Dinah and just saying some extremely awful things to her. Helena could live a happy life if she never had to hear anyone speak like that to Dinah ever again. 

It was the first time she felt completely out of control. They weren’t planning on shooting that evening, but Helena had taken her bow anyway, just in case. So instead of thinking about it, how she didn’t really want to shoot that day, she shot one in the neck as one grabbed Dinah and tried to run, so she shot that guy in stomach. The third guy she punched a few times, even after he was knocked out. 

Helena vaguely heard Dinah yelling at her as three guys bled on the ground. 

“Stop!” Dinah shouted so loud that it made Helena’s ears ring. 

Helena did stop to cover her ears. 

“C-come on,” Dinah said now, not touching Helena but leading her out of the building. 

Helena was fuming, but she felt like she’d fucked up. Dinah seemed pissed. She looked nervous; she kept glancing at Helena and wouldn’t make eye contact. Fuck. 

A while later, they got back to their apartment and Dinah went straight to her room. Helena wanted to know what she did, but she knew not to bother Dinah. 

Still, after Dinah didn’t emerge after an hour, and her shower was on for most of that time, Helena couldn’t help but wonder what happened. She knocked on Dinah’s door and stepped in. 

“Dinah?” she asked the heap on Dinah’s bed. “Uhm...are you okay?”

Dinah sniffled. “Yeah.”

“Are you crying?”

Helena could see Dinah shake her head. 

“Well...I...I feel like something is wrong.”

Dinah sighed and turned over in bed. Her eyes were red from crying. Helena’s heart broke. 

“What did I do?”

Dinah sat up. “You...you scared me, okay?”

Helena’s heart broke. “I did?”

“You just lost it, Helena. I almost couldn’t stop you. You weren’t even going to shoot tonight and then you did.”

“They were going to hurt you. Those things they said—“

“I know,” Dinah stopped her. “And I don’t want to say that I could’ve handled it on my own, I’m glad you stepped in. But you just...you weren’t there.”

“I was just mad. And I was scared, too.”

“I know. I know that. But in that moment I was more scared...” Dinah wiped a tear from her eye. “Scared of you. And maybe...I don’t know, Helena. Maybe we shouldn’t be together if you’re going to get that crazy if someone tries to hurt me. Maybe this was a bad idea. We shouldn’t mix our work and our personal life.”

Helena frowned deeply. “No, Dinah, please don’t say that. Please. I...I’ll calm down, I promise. I don’t want to lose you. In any capacity.”

“Bad guys will continue trying to hurt me. As long as we’re fighting them, I’ll be in danger.”

“I know. And I see where I need to control it. And I usually do, I do. Tonight was just...I was scared. Usually the guys give empty threats, but those things they said...I was the most scared of anyone of ever been. Just...give me a chance. You being scared of me will literally kill me.”

Dinah wiped her eyes again. “I know you just want to protect me.”

“And Renee and Harley and Cass. I care about all of you. You, a little more, sure.”

Dinah cracked a smile. “I would hope.”

Helena still wasn’t smiling. Not until she knew Dinah was open to trusting her again. 

“Can I come over to the bed?” Helena asked. 

Dinah nodded. Helena delicately sat on the edge. 

“I’m sorry,” Helena said. “I really am. I’m not just apologizing and saying I’ll calm down just because I don’t want to lose you. I truly know I need to relax and not let my feelings get people more hurt. Even though...I mean, they weren’t great guys, Dinah.”

Dinah chuckled. “I know. And I don’t want to lose you, either. I just don’t want you to do something stupid because of me.”

“I know. I understand.”

Dinah slowly reached out to touch Helena’s arm. Helena held her breath while she waited to feel Dinah touch her. 

Dinah’s fingers felt light, like she was experimenting. Like she was making sure Helena was still Helena. She didn’t blame Dinah. She felt out of herself, too. Like she wanted Dinah to ground her again. 

“Come here,” Dinah finally said, probably sensing how stiff Helena felt. She pulled Helena’s arm until Helena fell onto the bed next to Dinah. 

Dinah wrapped herself completely around Helena. Helena still felt extremely stiff, like she wasn’t going to calm down any time soon. 

“We can’t be uncomfortable with each other,” Dinah whispered. 

“I want you to trust me.”

“I would’ve kicked you out if I didn’t.”

Helena looked at Dinah. “Really?”

Dinah nodded. “Just hold me.”

Helena rigidly wrapped her arms around Dinah. Dinah snuggled in, her face against Helena’s chest. Helena squeezed Dinah’s head. 

“Okay,” Dinah said, “Too tight.”

“I’m not letting go.”

“Baby! You’re squeezing me!”

“I know.”

Dinah tried to pull her head out, but she was laughing. Helena felt more relaxed. 

“You stink!” Dinah cried. 

Helena laughed, too. “I didn’t shower.”

Dinah groaned. “Your damn arms! Too strong!” 

Helena knew they were back. They were ready to be back to normal. So, she rolled them until she was on top of Dinah, pinning her to the bed with her entire body. 

“You stink!” Dinah cried, laughing. “God, babe!”

Helena pressed tickling kisses to Dinah’s neck until Dinah laughed. 

“Okay, okay!” Dinah squirmed beneath her. “Okay! Go take a shower! I’ll be here for you.”

“Fine,” Helena said. “Five minutes.” She kissed Dinah soundly, then jumped off the bed. 

Feeling much better about the whole thing, but knowing she still needed to work on some things, Helena took a quick shower to quicker get back to Dinah. 

She washed off the terrible evening’s events, and Dinah was waiting in bed to welcome her back with open arms. 


	8. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “I’m not kissing you in the rain, we’ll catch our death!”

The days were getting repetitive.

A Spring storm spanning almost a week paused everything in Gotham, even crime. The club was empty, the streets were wet, and there was no ass to kick each night. 

Dinah and Helena were stuck in their apartment. Nobody would even come over; even Renee didn’t want a bit of cold, Spring rain. 

Dinah did find one advantage: for days she had Helena glued to the couch to binge watch all the good American television she’d missed out on. With Helena’s new Netflix account—that Dinah convinced her to get—they were neck deep in excellent television. They’d watch all day long, then either fall asleep on the couch or drag themselves to a bed. 

But finally, Dinah grew bored. Helena didn’t say she was bored, but Dinah couldn’t imagine she was enjoying herself anymore. The sun had just gone down, so it was getting colder outside, but Dinah didn’t care. She needed to go out. 

She suddenly jumped up off the couch. Helena watched her, but didn’t say anything. Dinah went to her room, put a pair of boots on with her sweatpants, and got her raincoat out. She looked ridiculous, in sweat pants, a sports bra, boots, and a raincoat, but it didn’t matter. Nobody was out on the streets. 

Dinah returned to the living room. “Let’s go outside.”

Helena looked at her, eyebrows furrows in confusion. “What?”

“Come on! Let’s go outside!” 

Helena looked out the window where it was pouring rain. “You know it’s raining, right?”

Dinah threw herself on the couch. “I am bored! Just go put on a coat and go outside with me before I lose my fucking mind!”

“Okay, okay,” Helena muttered, getting up from the couch. “Give me a second.”

Dinah excitedly waited by the door. Helena was gone for a few minutes, which was weird, until she finally emerged and Dinah saw why. She was wearing the black coat she had on that first night they met, the one that Dinah later joked looked like a garbage bag. 

“I...don’t have a raincoat.” 

“So cute. Okay, let’s go.”

Dinah took Helena’s hand as they walked down the stairs. She was ecstatic to leave the house. For days, they’d only been eating in and talking to nobody but each other. Which, it was fine. Dinah loved having Helena to herself. But she needed out!

They got down to the slick stoop and stepped down. The awning allowed for only a little bit of wet in the ground but the women weren’t getting soaked. The sun had just set and the street lights were glistening pretty on the ground. Dinah was thrilled. 

She stepped out into the falling rain, but her arm was pulled by Helena staying on the stoop. 

“Come on!” Dinah cried. “The water’s fine!”

Helena shook her head. 

“You won’t melt!”

Helena shook her head still. 

Dinah frowned. Her pants were already soaked, and her face where the hood didn’t reach, but she felt amazing and wanted to enjoy the rain with Helena. 

“It’s romantic,” she tried. 

“What?” Helena asked. “The rain?”

“Yes! Come kiss me!”

“I’m not kissing you in the rain!”

“Why not?!”

“Because we’ll catch our death!”

“‘Catch our death’? What are you, eighty?!”

Helena laughed, but shook her head. 

Dinah spun around one more time, her hood coming off and the water hitting her head, before stopping to look at Helena again. 

Dinah sighed. “Alright, grandma, let’s go back in.”

Helena held out a hand. Dinah took it and let Helena pull her to the first step of the stood. 

But then, before she could go any further, Helena stepped off, onto the sidewalk below. She was just barely not covered by the awning, and Dinah looked at her in surprise. 

“What—“

Helena put her hands on Dinah’s hips and pulled her in. Since Dinah was up a little bit higher, Helena reached a bit to capture Dinah’s lips. 

It was the most romantic kiss Dinah had ever had, and it wasn’t the rain at all. It was the woman in front of her. All Helena. 

She put a hand on Helena’s cheek to hold her there forever, but finally Helena pulled back first. 

“If I die,” Helena said, “It’s on you.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Helena smiled. There were raindrops on her eyelashes, drops falling from her hair. 

“You’re insane, you know that?” Helena asked. 

“I do.”

Helena kissed her again. 

Finally, Dinah got too cold before Helena. She decided it was time for them to go in, and that they needed a hot shower and some tea. 

After that, they snuggled on the couch, and Dinah felt refreshed to continue a few days inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t you wish you were just cooped up for a few days. Ah, the life.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	9. Chiropractor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Is that a good ‘oh’ or a bad ‘oh’?”

Dinah had been bugging Helena to go to a chiropractor for, like, three weeks. Helena had a twinge in her back that just would not go away. She’d taken some time off crime fighting duties, eased up on exercise, and all-in-all relaxed, but she still wasn’t feeling any better. The only thing that made her smile was Dinah’s constant joke about needing to “rub one out”.

Helena didn’t see anyone about it, imagining maybe it would go away on its own. Or she’d be doomed forever with a sore back. Still, it didn’t stop her from not doing all strenuous activity—like in bed. 

Dinah was far more imaginative than she was. At least, that’s what Helena told herself. That it was all her imagination and not experience. 

Anyway, Dinah seemed to have an arsenal of interesting positions, and Helena was always quick to agree to whatever Dinah wanted. 

Helena had Dinah on the bed, and she didn’t really know how but their legs were twisted together almost uncomfortably. The good part was that they were so close that she couldn’t tell where she ended and Dinah began and visa versa, but there was a lot of strain on her aching back. 

She powered through, though. It was pretty good. They were getting from point A to point ‘O’ pretty quickly. Helena probably just needed a few good thrusts to be done. And Dinah seemed to be enjoying herself. 

And then Dinah moved suddenly, which caused Helena to almost fall, which caused her to catch herself even more twisted, which caused something somewhere to pop. 

“Ooooh...” Helena paused and groaned.

“Is that a good ‘oh’ or a bad ‘oh’?” 

“Bad.”

“Shit,” Dinah mumbled, “Hang on.”

She untangled herself from Helena, ending Helena just in a sitting position. 

“Can you lay down?” 

Helena was breathing hard and steadily through the pain. “I...I think so.”

Dinah helped her ease down. “‘Kay. Let me go get you something, okay? Stay here.”

Helena grumbled, “Where am I going to go? I’m completely naked and I can’t even move.”

Dinah quickly covered Helena with the comforter, then threw on her underwear and a sweatshirt from her drawer. 

Helena waited for a few minutes while listening to Dinah in the kitchen. She heard Dinah get a cup of water, then Tylenol from the medicine cabinet. Dinah spent a few more minutes in the kitchen and Helena assumed she was getting a drink. Fucker. Helena was dying and Dinah stopped for a drink. 

Dinah finally came into the room, maybe ten minutes later. And she had company. 

“Damn Canary, what’d you do to her?” Harley’s voice rang through the room. 

“Oh, what the fuck—“ Helena began. 

“Baby, listen,” Dinah said nicely. “Harley is a doctor.”

“I have a PhD!” Harley added. “And Dinah said you’re naked and I won’t even cop a feel or nothin’.”

Helena sighed. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

“Just get on your little tummy, Killer,” Harley playfully said. She took off her jacket and handed it to Dinah. 

Helena turned over and kept her lower half covered. Harley quickly straddled her thighs and grabbed her back. 

“Damn, Killer, you’re tight.” Then, she grinned. “Already heard that tonight?”

Dinah rolled her eyes and covered her face. 

“What, did you guys not even finish?” Harley asked, rubbing Helena’s sore muscle. 

Helena couldn’t help but answer, “No.”

Dinah glared at her. 

Helena tried to shrug, but she couldn’t really move. Whatever Harley was doing felt fine, but it seemed like a lot that Dinah could’ve done. 

After a minute, Helena was pretty relaxed. Harley dug in hard, and most knots were gone. 

All the while asking some pretty invasive questions. 

“So what position were you attempting?” Harley asked, then named about twenty different things that Helena didn’t understand. Dinah didn’t seem to understand either, thankfully. 

“‘Kay, Killer, I need you to breathe in for me.”

Helena was confused, but she did as was told. 

“Deep breath in, ‘kay? Now...out...”

Helena let a breath out, and at the same time Harley pushes on her back. Hard. So hard that everything seemed to crack back into place. 

“Holy fuck!” Helena cried. 

“See?!” Dinah said. “I told you to go to a chiropractor. They would’ve done this.”

“Yeah,” Harley said, “But I’ll only charge ya half.”

Dinah must’ve glared at her, because she quickly added, “Fine, I’ll accept free drinks at the club tomorrow night. Breathe in again.”

Helena did it again, and Harley cracked her spine between her shoulder blades. 

“Sit up for me,” Harley said.

“Uh...” Helena was very aware that she was still naked. 

“Please, we’ve all seen tits here.”

“Yeah, but not mine.”

Dinah went to her drawer and pulled out a crop top. One that was probably Helena’s anyway. 

Helena sat up and put the shirt on, then Harley told her to sit on the edge of the bed. Then, Harley sat behind her and massaged her shoulders. 

“I’m gonna get your neck now,” Harley said. “Just breathe.”

Helena relaxed as well as she could, but she was nervous. One wrong move and Harley could kill her. Thankfully, she mostly trusted Harley. 

Mostly. 

“Breathe in,” Harley said, “And out...”

Then, she roughly turned Helena’s head until there was a crack. 

“Shit!” Helena cried, but as Harley let her go, her neck felt way less stiff. 

Harley moved her head the other way too, then twisted Helena’s body until her spine cracked vertically. 

“That okay?” Harley asked. 

Helena nodded. She felt way less stiff. She felt amazing, actually. 

“Damn, Quinn,” Dinah said. “When I called you, even I wasn’t sure.”

Harley wiggled her fingers. “Magic.” Then, she winked at Helena. “In more ways than one.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Alright, time to go. Thank you, Harley.”

Harley climbed off the bed, taking her jacket from Dinah. “If you need any more assistance in the bedroom, you have my number.”

Helena shook her head. “Thanks, though.”

Harley was almost to the door before she added, “And I’d cool it on the tough positions for a few days. Keep it vanilla, Canary.”

“Thanks for the sex advice,” Dinah said, pushing Harley out of the room. 

While Dinah was escorting Harley out, Helena got some underwear out of her drawer in Dinah’s room. She figured their activity was over, even if she felt a little bit frustrated by the lack of end result. Tomorrow morning. Maybe in a hot, relaxing shower.

Dinah returned to the bedroom as Helena was slipping on her underwear. 

“How do you feel?” Dinah asked, returning to the bed. 

“A little sexually frustrated.”

Dinah chuckled. “I meant your back.”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s fine.” Helena got into bed next to Dinah. 

“Yeah? Scared me for a minute. I thought I broke you.”

“I think it would take a lot more to keep me down.”

Dinah lifted an eyebrow. “Is that a dare?”

“Maybe...in a few weeks. You heard what the doctor said.”

“God, don’t let her hear that you admitted she’s a doctor. I mean, I know she is, but you know she’d be insufferable.”

Helena rested her head on Dinah’s chest. “She did do a good job, though.”

“Sounded like it. I should’ve let her do me.”

Helena’s head snapped up so fast she almost pulled something else. 

Dinah laughed. “I meant my back! Although...since you didn’t finish what you started...”

Helena traced a finger over the elastic of Dinah’s underwear. “Tomorrow.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” Dinah kissed her. 

Helena kissed back until her neck felt sore. She knew she needed to rest everything that Harley had done, so she laid back down and snuggled up to Dinah. 

“Goodnight,” Dinah whispered, kissing Helena’s forehead. 

“Goodnight,” Helena agreed, then closed her eyes and thanked everything that her back no longer hurt too much to sleep. 


	10. Dressed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Can you zip me?”

Dinah looked beyond incredible literally all the time. It was actually unfair how freakin’ beautiful she was. Helena just wanted to spend her entire day staring at her. Everything she did was gorgeous. She was gorgeous before she got out of bed. She was incredible when she was eating. She looked amazing when she’d just rolled out of bed and as she was falling into it after a long shift at the club. She was just too attractive.

Helena loved watching Dinah at all times, but she especially loved watching Dinah get ready. She didn’t care if Dinah put makeup on, it was totally up to her, but watching Dinah was like watching an artist. She was so meticulous when putting on eyeliner, so steady handed and careful that it was enchanting. Helena couldn’t look away. 

And she loved watching Dinah get dressed. She always sat on Dinah’s bed as Dinah picked out her clothes, whether it was jeans and a top for a day out, or a nice blazer and tank for the club, or one of Helena’s shirts for bed. She loved watching Dinah pick something out, thinking hard over what would be the most comfortable for whatever it was they were doing. 

Every once in a while, they got to dress fancy to head out for a night. Sometimes it’s a job, sometimes it’s social—they know a lot of people—and sometimes it’s the strings Helena pulls to get into fancy restaurants. 

Tonight, it’s a dinner party that they were invited to a few weeks ago. They can’t afford to miss it, even though Helena would do anything to do so. 

What made it worse was watching Dinah get ready. Helena was ready an hour ago, but she was completely comfortable watching Dinah busy herself. She had only a towel on and Helena loved watching her wander back and forth from the bedroom to the bathroom. Maybe Dinah would take all night and they’d miss the party—

Dinah finally exited her closet holding a dark blue dress. Helena knew the dress, Dinah had worn it before. It was tight and soft, sleeveless but the neck went all the way up. It was elegant and sexy without even meaning to be, and Helena loved it. 

Helena sat up straighter and paid attention. She put her phone down. 

“Oh, now you’ll pay attention because I’m about to get naked?” Dinah joked. “I’ve been talking to you for an hour.”

Helena opened her mouth to argue, but she really couldn’t argue, and then Dinah dropped her towel. That shut Helena up before she began. 

Dinah slipped on a bra that made Helena’s brain short circuit, then her panties, and finally she stepped into her dress. Helena’s mouth went dry. 

She vaguely heard Dinah say something. 

“What?”

Dinah chuckled. She gave Helena a sideways grin, making her dimple more pronounced. 

“Can you zip me?” 

Helena practically jumped across the bed to get to Dinah. Dinah laughed and turned around, holding her hair up and out of the way. 

Helena wanted to take the dress off Dinah again. Fuck the dinner, fuck the party. Just keep Dinah in bed all night. For days. Forever. 

But she knew they couldn’t miss it. So instead, she almost kneeled and kissed the bottom of Dinah’s spine, where the zipper began. She continued up, sucking kisses as she pulled, as Dinah’s breath caught with every pull of her lips, until she got to Dinah’s neck. Once the zipper was in place, she kissed to the side of Dinah’s neck, where she liked it. Dinah slid her hand into Helena hair to hold her in place while pushing her ass back into Helena’s hips. 

Helena thought of about a thousand better things to do than the dinner party. 

“We have to go,” Dinah pleaded. 

“Walk away from me,” Helena dared. 

“I don’t want to...”

“Then let’s stay home,” Helena whispered in Dinah’s ear. 

“We can’t...”

Helena quickly spun Dinah around. She attached her lips to the canary’s and kissed her hard, with a promise of continuing when they returned home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	11. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “What happened to romance?”

Helena was in trouble. 

She wanted to do something grand to tell Dinah how she felt. She wanted to tell Dinah how much she cared, how much she liked her, how she was pretty much the only person in the world that Helena liked, that she thought Dinah was beautiful, that she thought Dinah was interesting and wonderful and she was so. screwed. 

Helena was not one for words. She wasn’t one for much of anything, but finding a way to articulate how she felt was something she was very much not good at. 

She was not very confident, either. She thought Dinah liked her, maybe, but there was a large part of her that didn’t think Dinah liked her. There was a big part of her that thought Dinah thought of her just as a friend. A roommate. A teammate. 

Still, she hoped. She knew how to hope. 

Helena ran through ideas in her head while she and Renee shared a pot of coffee. Dinah was still asleep because of a late shift at the club. 

“Listen,” Helena said suddenly, making Renee jump and spill her coffee. 

“Son of a bitch, Bertinelli!”

“What? I have a question.”

“We’ve been sitting here silently for over an hour. When you’re gonna begin, you gotta start easy.”

Helena didn’t know that...she was just starting conversation. 

“So, should I not ask?”

Renee sighed. “We’re already in it. What’s up?”

“How did you begin dating Ellen?”

Renee grinned. “Well, one day we met. I asked her for a drink. And the rest is history.”

Helena could tell that Renee’s grin was because she felt gusto about being the one to ask Ellen out. 

It was not helpful. 

“What do you do if you actually like each other?”

“Hey! We do like each other.”

“Mmm. Okay,” Helena said, almost sarcastically. She meant for it to be unbelieving. 

Renee eyed her. “And who’s got your heart, Crossbow Killer?”

Helena held her eye. “Nobody.”

“Really? You’re just asking for...nothing.”

“Not...nothing.”

Renee’s eyes slit like she was trying to see through Helena. “Tell me.”

“Nobody.”

Renee lifted her mug. “Maybe I’ll just ask Canary if she knows something.”

“No!”

Renee laughed. “Alright, chill. Just what I thought, though.”

“You didn’t know.”

“Please, that you two are crazy about each other? It’s almost painful.”

Helena wanted to comment that it was painful watching her follow Ellen around for weeks at a time, sulk, then to watch them crawl back to each other. It was awful. 

Still, Renee had the most experience she was comfortable with asking about. 

“So,” Helena continued. “What can I do that’s romantic enough to show her I care?”

Renee shrugged. “Ask her for a drink.”

“We go for drinks all the time.”

“So, then you should feel comfortable.”

Helena shook her head. “What happened to romance? Flowers? Chocolate? Music?”

Renee snorted. “And they say I’m from a bad 80’s movie.”

“What?” 

“Nothing,” Renee laughed. “Listen, if you want to do something romantic, something out of the ordinary for our times, be direct. Tell her how you feel. Nobody ever does that anymore.”

With that, Renee got up from the island, put her mug in the sink, and left the kitchen. 

Helena still wasn’t sure what to do, unfortunately. And she didn’t have much more time to dwell, because Dinah woke up and exited her bedroom. Helena handed her a mug of hot coffee and forced an agonized smile when Dinah smiled beautifully. 

She was fucked. 


	12. Windows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real prompt, I made this up. Renee’s POV.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Renee wasn’t expecting much entertainment when she walked into Dinah and Helena’s apartment. It was mid-afternoon, and since none of them were up to much, Renee often dropped it. She didn’t expect anything different.

Except...something big was different. 

Helena was sitting at the kitchen island, looking cool and sipping a cup of coffee. She was reading the newspaper and acting like it was early in the morning, when she usually got up and began the day. Her hair was a mess and Renee could tell Helena really did just get up. 

Dinah was nowhere to be found. Renee thought she heard the shower, which was slightly less odd because of Dinah’s weird work hours. Her day often began in the afternoon. 

But the weirdest part was someone repairing the windows in the living room. 

Renee walked up to the island and dropped her sunglasses. “What’s going on here?”

Helena glanced up. “Nothing.”

“What happened to your windows?”

“Nothing,” Helena immediately answered. 

“What, was this place attacked or something? Someone break ‘em?”

“No,” Helena said over the brim of her mug. 

Renee was suspicious. Something happened. Something broke the windows. Or someone. 

Renee began overthinking what could have happened. Maybe someone followed Helena and Dinah home. Maybe someone figured out where they lived. Maybe they were attacked in their sleep. Renee had better figure out how to up their security; she didn’t think Helena even had security cameras or anything. They needed cameras, sensors, alarms—

Dinah exited her bedroom. “Hey Renee,” she said, stepping up to Helena. “Hey, baby.” 

Canary hugged Helena at her side. “How are you feeling?” Dinah asked sweetly, voice quiet and intimate. 

Helena leaned in to Dinah. She grinned and looked at Dinah through her lashes. “I feel great,” she said. 

God, their flirting was atrocious. And sometimes it made Renee miss being cute with Ellen. When they were in the honeymoon stage. 

“How did you sleep?” Helena asked. 

“Wonderfully,” Dinah said, rubbing Helena’s stomach sweetly. 

Renee kept thinking while the two disasters in front of her flirted relentlessly over coffee. If they were home the night before, they probably didn’t hit any danger, and Helena would probably tell Renee if something happened, hell she would’ve been the first call Helena made, probably. They were a team. And neither of them were hurt. Just tired. Worn out looking. Like they had a good night in, and—

Realization dawned on Renee. 

“Did you break the windows during sex?!” Renee asked in a whisper, since the repair guy was nearby. 

“I’m not answering that,” Helena coolly said, but grinned proudly like that day she killed Zsasz. 

“I will,” Dinah answered, sitting at the island next to Helena. “My vocal chords are sore.” She took a sip of Helena’s coffee. 

Renee’s jaw dropped. “H-how...what??”

“I’m not answering anything,” Helena said, because of course she did. 

“This is a weird question...” Renee said. “Are your ears okay? Did you knock Helena out?”

Dinah chuckled. Helena smirked. She answered her only answer. “My, uh...my ears were covered.”

Renee was confused. Kind of. “Covered...”

“By my thighs, Renee,” Dinah said.

Renee shook her head. Good god. These kids. And she knew Helena wasn’t going to say anything more. She was able to keep secrets, be private.

Renee just needed to wait until Helena was super drunk to get her secrets. Get some tips. 

She didn’t even notice the loverbirds were making out. The repair guy was finishing up, packing up his things. 

“You know what? I’ll get my own lunch,” Renee said, picking up her glasses. 

When she got to the door, the repair guy was approaching, too. 

“Did you at least get paid?” Renee asked. 

The repair guy nodded. “Yeah. Good thing, huh?”

Renee glanced back at the happy couple. They were making out against the island. 

“Yeah,” Renee said, almost fondly. She was glad her friends were working out. “Good thing.”


	13. In love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of a few chapters ago when Helena was asking Renee how she should tell Dinah she loves her.

Dinah liked to date.

Or at least, that’s what Helena thought. 

Dinah went on a lot of dates, so that’s what she assumed. She assumed that like many young people in romantic comedies, Dinah was someone who thrived on meeting new people and going out. They went out too, but as friends. Not as dates. Just friends. 

But Helena thought Dinah liked to date, and she thought that was part of the reason she didn’t have a chance with the other woman. Dinah knew how to be with other people. Dinah knew what small talk was and how to be nice all the time and what to do in social situations. 

Helena assumed Dinah wanted a real boyfriend or girlfriend who probably didn’t have as much baggage as either of them. A good person who had never killed anyone before. A person who wasn’t Huntress or Crossbow Killer or Helena Bertinelli. Someone normal. 

Helena just let it silently kill her. She just watched Dinah come home after each date alone and unsatisfied. Maybe a little disappointed. But she knew Dinah would be back out there with someone soon enough. And then Helena would watch her go and die all over again. 

Because she loved Dinah, even if she only knew the love of her family as a child. She knew she loved Dinah. 

She wouldn’t ever do anything about it. Even after talking to Renee about how to tell Dinah how she felt. She just knew she would never say anything to the Canary, and she’d be alone in agony forever. 

It was a month after having the conversation with Renee that Dinah went on a date with a big time stock broker from Metropolis. He was boring, and Helena didn’t stay in the room for two seconds while he was in the apartment. He wasn’t good enough for Dinah. Not that anybody was, but Helena didn’t have high opinions for that man in particular. 

Still, Helena was shocked by Dinah arriving home maybe an hour after she left. 

She was sitting on the couch when the key sounded in the lock. Confused, Helena sat up on the couch and looked over the back toward the front door. After a second, Dinah stumbled in looking upset. 

Helena was off the couch immediately. “What’s wrong?”

Dinah sniffled. “Huh? Nothing. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Helena was not phased. “What does that mean? What happened?”

Dinah leaned on the kitchen island. “He just wasn’t right. He was just...it was weird, okay?”

“Weird how? Did he hurt you?” Helena asked, anger flaring. 

“Helena, just drop it!” Dinah nearly shouted. 

Helena frowned and backed off like a kicked puppy. She just watched Dinah pour herself a glass of water. She wanted to kick someone’s ass for hurting Dinah, but she didn’t want to hurt Dinah herself by prying. 

Helena slowly turned out of the kitchen. 

“I’m just...” Dinah began suddenly. Helena paused. She didn’t turn to Dinah, though. 

Dinah continued, “I’m just tired of this. I’m tired of going on date after date and having nothing to show for it. Do you know how many dates I’ve been on in the past two months?”

12, Helena thought, but she wasn’t going to say that. 

“Sometimes,” Dinah continued, “I just want someone to say, ‘I’m here for you. I care about you. I want you.’ I want someone to love me.”

Helena could not just let that go. Her chance was now or never. 

She quickly stepped up to Dinah, grabbed her shoulders, and looked her in the eye. 

“I’m here for you. I care about you. I want you. I want to love you.”

Dinah’s eyes were comically wide. She stared at Helena, who stared back with open and honest eyes. And a turning stomach. Jesus, she thought, this was a huge mistake. Abort mission!

“Are you serious?” Dinah asked quietly. 

All of Helena was screaming to say, ‘Yeah, as a friend!’ 

Instead, she said, “Completely.”

“I’m damaged goods.”

“I’m not?” 

Dinah chuckled. She had tears in her eyes. 

“I didn’t mean for you to cry,” Helena said, dropping her arms from Dinah’s shoulders. She backed away from Dinah. 

Dinah stepped up to her again. “No, it’s a good cry. It’s a relieved cry.”

Helena was so confused. “What do you mean?”

Dinah shook her head. “I never thought...I don’t know. I hoped. I wanted you to feel for me what I feel for you.”

Helena looked up. “Really?”

“Yes,” Dinah said as she stepped up to Helena, grabbing her shoulders back like Helena had to her. “I want to love you back.”

Helena’s heart burst. “Are you serious?”

Dinah chuckled. “We could go back and forth all night. I’m serious. Are you?”

Helena nodded. “So serious.”

Dinah smiled. Her smile was gorgeous, all straight teeth and dimples. 

This wasn’t how Helena had imagined it, and she had imagined it a lot despite not having any plan to do anything about it. She envisioned herself kissing Dinah, or just blurting that she loved her, or something insane happening and the two of them being forced to share their feelings—she was watching too many movies. 

Still, it was glorious. Dinah’s hands shifted from Helena’s shoulders to her face. Helena held her breath. Dinah leaned in. Helena was stone stiff. 

Dinah paused inches away from her face. “I’m going to kiss you.”

Helena let out a nervous breath. “I’m assuming people usually don’t need to announce it.”

Dinah chuckled. “I’m just making sure it’s okay first. You seem...nervous.”

“I’m just expecting you to change your mind any second now.”

“I’m not going to change my mind. Are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then...are we going to kiss?”

Helena nodded. 

Dinah began forward again. Helena was so nervous, but Dinah’s hands shifting towards the back of her head and pulling her in made her focus on the task at hand: giving Dinah the best kiss she’d ever had. 

Helena placed her hands on Dinah’s hips and pulled her in, too. She carefully pressed her lips to Dinah’s and kissed her with all she had. She hadn’t had many kisses in her life, but the way Dinah’s lips delicately enclosed her top lip, and her tongue ran over Helena’s lip, asking to be let in to deepen the kiss—it was absolutely the best kiss she’d ever had. 

Helena wrapped her arms around Dinah’s waist and pulled her closer, as close as possible. Dinah’s arms went around her neck and Helena was sure she needed nothing more for the rest of her life than to kiss the Canary in the middle of their kitchen. 

As their kiss deepened, Helena was slightly aware of Dinah’s fingers playing with the hair at the back of her head. Helena wasn’t sure which one was better, Dinah’s tongue in her mouth or Dinah’s fingers twisting in her hair. 

Both were super fucking perfect. 

One of Dinah’s hands made its way back to Helena’s face. Her hand covered Helena’s cheek warmly. 

Dinah pulled away first. Helena followed her lips but Dinah laughed. 

“Easy, killer. Slow.”

Helena nodded. 

“You really want me, huh?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. “You have no idea.”

“I’ve never felt...wanted before.”

“That’s an injustice in itself.”

Dinah laughed. “You’re gonna treat me right, aren’t you, Helena?”

Helena nodded. “Absolutely. You deserve the best.”

Dinah brushed hair off Helena’s eyes. “You do too, babe. I want to show you how much you deserve.”

Helena couldn’t help kissing her again. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to stop herself from kissing Dinah ever again. 

After a long few minutes of sucking kisses, and Helena’s stomach dropping with heat, Dinah finally pulled away first again. 

“Are you going to keep stopping?” Helena asked, partly exasperated. 

Dinah laughed. Her arms squeezed Helena’s neck in a tight hug. “Yeah,” she said, “I mean it, let’s take it slow. Let’s go to bed and figure more out tomorrow. Let me take you out tomorrow night.”

“Like a date?”

“Exactly like a date.” 

“Alright,” Helena agreed. “Lucky number thirteen.”

Dinah looked surprised. “You’ve been counting my dates?”

“I’ve been slowly dying every time you’ve gone out. So yes.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?”

Dinah shrugged. “I was scared. Scared that you didn’t feel the same.”

“Of course I feel the same.”

“Well, I didn’t know that!”

“Yeah, because you didn’t say anything!”

Dinah rolled her eyes. Helena played with the hair falling over her back. 

“Let’s go to bed,” Dinah said. She unwrapped herself from Helena, even though Helena was reluctant to let go. 

Dinah took her hand and pulled her to her bedroom. 

“I’m going to sleep with you?” Helena asked. 

Dinah nodded. “If you want to. I want you to.”

Helena was itching to hold Dinah close as they slept. Of course she followed Dinah through the door and to the bed. 

Dinah announced she was going to put pajamas on, and since Helena was already in sweat pants and a tank top, she just laid on Dinah’s bed. It smelled like her. It was soft and warm like her. 

Helena was thrilled. She was so excited to fall asleep knowing Dinah loved her back. 

Did Dinah love her? Dinah said she wanted to love her. That’s...almost the same. 

Maybe Helena would tell her she loved her. Just to see if Dinah meant it, too. 

Dinah walked out of the bathroom in pajamas. Helena had seen her in pajamas a hundred times, but nothing was as intoxicating as seeing Dinah climb into the bed next to her. 

“Goodnight,” Dinah said, leaning over and kissing Helena. 

“Goodnight,” Helena replied, opening her arms to let Dinah lay with her. She kissed the top of Dinah’s head. 

She would tell Dinah she loved her. 

Tomorrow. 


	14. Chatter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Shut up and fuck me.”
> 
> There will be sex. Thank you for reading!

Helena was mostly silent. She was just quiet. She moved tranquilly, she spoke hushed, and it seemed a lot like she relished in the silence. She got a lot done without distraction, and because of that Dinah spent most of her day also in silence.

Dinah didn’t mind it very much. Even though she grew up and always lived in some sort of noise, silence was good. Sometimes, if the television was off and they were reading or working on something, Dinah put music on, which Helena didn’t seem to mind. They had a balance. Usually Helena’s want of silence just meant no speaking, and Dinah was fine with that. 

Instead of speaking directly to Helena, Dinah sang or hummed, which Helena liked a lot. She told Dinah often how much she loved her voice. It was easy to spend a lazy, silent day with Helena. 

But sometimes...Helena seemed to crack, sometimes. Dinah thought maybe sometimes she got so overwhelmed with life in general and she didn’t know how to cope, so she’d talk and talk for hours on end. 

Which Dinah loved, honestly. On those days, Helena told Dinah about everything under the sun, from the dog she saw on her morning run to the amazing cup of coffee she made to the penny she found in her shoe to appreciating the way Dinah looked in her jeans. It was like listening to a hyperactive child, and Dinah found it incredibly adorable. 

Not that she was allowed to say that. Not that she could call Helena adorable. Instead, she’d laugh when appropriate to not make Helena think she was laughing at her, or she’d sigh when appropriate, or frown when appropriate. Basically, Dinah listened, and that was what mattered. 

As much as Dinah loved Helena’s chattery days, she was well aware that the chatter did not end at night. No, the talkative-Helena followed her to bed, and even continued when Dinah was so enamored by how adorable Helena was and needed her so badly. 

They laid next to each other to go to sleep, but Dinah figured she’d tire Helena out somehow. Without warning, she stuck her tongue in Helena’s mouth and Helena let out a shocked moan. 

Then, she pulled off with a sucking pop and said, “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”

“Yeah?” Dinah asked, pushing Helena onto her back and straddling her waist. “Less thinking, more doing.” She kissed Helena again. 

Again, Helena slightly pushed her back. “I’ve been thinking about this since this morning when you reached passed me to get a mug for your coffee, and you pushed your boobs against me.”

Dinah chuckled. “I didn’t think you noticed that.”

“Of course I noticed that, I notice every time you do something sexy to get me to notice. Like yesterday when you needed the toothpaste on my side of the sink, so you leaned passed me with a hand on my hip—“ Helena paused. “Do you purposefully put me between yourself and something you want just so you can rub against me or something?”

Dinah smirked. “Not always.” 

“You’re like a weird cat—“ 

Dinah cut her off by kissing her again. 

Unfortunately, Helena wasn’t done. “I saw a cat yesterday that had three legs and it was really cute and I almost brought it home but I remembered you said you’re allergic to cats and when your nose is irritated with allergies it hurts your nose ring and—“

Dinah found it so endearing that Helena remember the most random shit about her. Sometimes she brings oranges home after her morning run to make fresh orange juice because Dinah told her once that her mom used to. Dinah mentioned once that she broke her left arm when she was younger, so the days after fights Helena is more careful with Dinah’s left arm. 

Helena was an encyclopedia of useless facts, and Dinah had her own volume. 

Dinah was kissing Helena again, and the kisses lasted almost two straight minutes, but Dinah knew it was too good to be true. 

Sure enough, Helena pulled away again. “Did you know when you kiss, your body assesses your partner’s genetic chemistry to decide if it likes kissing?”

“What?”

“Like, when we first kissed, your body went though my germs and mine went through yours to decide if we were compatible.”

“And?”

Helena looked surprised. “I don’t know. I like kissing you. So I guess we passed the test.”

Dinah smiled. Sounded good to her. And she was getting impatient. She needed Helena’s hand in her pants, like, now. “Speaking of kissing—“

“Did you also know the thought of kissing makes your mouth water?”

“‘Kay, I want to shelf this conversation, but I feel like I need to know. Why do you know so much about kissing?”

Helena shrugged and diverted her gaze to where she was playing with Dinah’s hair that had fallen over her. “I, uh, did some research before...you know.”

“Before what?”

“Before...you know.”

“I don’t know.”

“Before we kissed!”

Dinah was surprised and she wasn’t surprised. Because of course Helena did. When she wanted something, show poured her entire brain power into it. 

“Why?” Dinah asked skeptically. 

“Because I didn’t...” Helena sighed. “I didn’t know how.” 

“Didn’t know h—Oh my gosh, you didn’t know how to kiss?”

Helena tried to hide her eyes. 

Dinah grabbed her hands and pushed them to the bed. “Hey, no. I’m surprised because you kiss like a pro, babe. And I’m not just saying that because I really like to kiss you. You kiss like you’re getting a medal.”

“I wanted to impress you. I wanted you to think I was good at it.”

“Well,” Dinah moved her hands to cup Helena’s face. “You are amazing at it. Can we get back to it?”

Helena nodded. She pulled Dinah down and kissed her again.

After a minute of passionately making out, Helena pushed at Dinah again, but this time just to turn them so Helena was on top. She settled between Dinah’s spread legs and Dinah undulated her hips up at Helena.

They had a good rhythm going, and finally Helena’s hand traveled down Dinah’s chest and stomach to her pants. Her fingers trailed under the elastic of her pajamas, and Dinah was sure Helena was two seconds from pulling them off when—

“One more,” Helena said suddenly. 

Dinah groaned. “Will you just shut up and fuck me?”

Helena sat back on her knees and pulled at Dinah’s pants. She kept talking. “I was just going to say that our kisses taste different during our periods.”

“Oh my god,” Dinah mumbled as Helena tossed her pants off the bed. 

“It’s biology. Maybe next time we can track the way we taste—“

“We are not doing that.”

“Aren’t you curious—“

“No. Do you want sex or not?”

“Of course I do—“

“Then please do something with your half-naked girlfriend on your lap.”

Helena looked down. As if realizing for the first time what position they were in and how they got there. She finally grabbed Dinah’s hips and fully pulled her on her lap, then laid over Dinah to reach her mouth again. 

In seconds, Helena’s fingers were deep inside Dinah as Dinah’s hips jumped with no rhythm just trying to seek Helena, while Helena sucked on Dinah’s neck. 

Dinah scratched Helena’s back and pulled her hair, her hands everywhere to pull her in. 

Dinah was groaning so loud that she almost didn’t hear Helena speaking. 

“What?” Dinah asked between pants. 

“I said thank you for listening,” Helena said. 

Dinah moaned, then said, “Of course.”

“You’re the only person I’ve been able to talk to for a long time.”

Dinah squeezed her eyes shut and focused on Helena’s fingers, her voice, her smell. “I love listening to you.”

“Even when I talk to much?”

“Especially when you talk too much.”

“Even when I—“ 

Helena circled her thumb over Dinah’s clit, so Dinah’s back arched off the bed and she cried out. “Fuck, yes, all the time, fuck, baby, don’t stop...”

Helena didn’t stop, and if she said anything else while bringing Dinah to orgasm, Dinah had no idea. 

But Dinah did listen as Helena’s words turned into sighs and moans as Dinah kissed down her body and sucked her until she came. Until Helena’s speech was reduced to Dinah’s name over and over. Until Dinah finished and climbed up to lay on Helena’s chest. 

Then, Helena was silent as their breathing evened. 

“Did I break you?” Dinah asked. 

“Yes.”

Dinah smiled. “Good,” she said, kissing Helena’s chest. Mission of shutting off Helena’s overworked brain was accomplished. 

“Love you,” Helena practically whispered. 

That was still new. Not the love itself. But saying it. Dinah wished Helena didn’t feel like she needed to not say that, of all things. Not when sex began talking about spit. 

“I love you too,” Dinah said, more confidently than Helena. She looked up at the other woman staring down at her. “Let’s clean up, then get some rest. You’re probably exhausted.”

Helena nodded. 

Dinah got them both up and to the bathroom. As they got ready for bed, Helena was quiet again. Part of Dinah missed the chatter, but she knew when Helena was quiet she felt more normal. More herself. Less overwhelmed and overstimulated. 

Dinah finished brushing her teeth before Helena. She stood behind Helena, wrapped her arms around her waist, and hugged her from behind. 

“Thank you,” Helena said through her toothbrush, the first thing said in many minutes. 

Dinah kissed the back of her neck. “You are so welcome, sweetheart.”

Helena’s free hand covered Dinah’s on her stomach. They locked eyes through the mirror and just smiled at each other. 

No words needed.


	15. Wreck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “I don’t think there’s an accurate scale for how mad she’s going to be.” 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Helena and Renee didn’t expect such a wild story when they went out for the evening. They dropped Dinah off at the club and had a quick check on a situation they were keeping an eye on. They were going to be back to pick Dinah up in, like, an hour. She just had to go in for a little while. Dinah let them drive her car because, “The thought of you two on the bike together really bothers me in a way I can’t quite understand.”

Helena drove, which was a mistake in itself. The woman had her license about a month and didn’t have a lot of experience behind the wheel. Dinah sure as hell never let her drive, but when Dinah climbed out of the driver’s seat at the club, Renee climbed out of the backseat and told Helena to scoot into the driver’s. 

That was just the beginning. 

A routine checkup ended up in some sort of crazy car chase. Helena didn’t even have a gun or bow with her and Renee was short on ammo, plus they were in civilian clothes and weren’t prepared to fight that night. 

The high-stakes situation didn’t help when Renee kept yelling, “Just drive, Bertinelli!”

And Helena panicked and did, in fact, keep driving. 

They should have had a backup plan, Helena knew that. Maybe not driven Dinah’s car because it was becoming recognizable. Anyway, they couldn’t exactly change plans while driving as fast as Dinah’s little car could through the streets of Gotham. 

At least it was late at night. There weren’t many people out, and maybe the poor people of Gotham were so used to shit going down that nobody spared a glance at the car chase. And they got out of the way. It wouldn’t do to injure any innocent people. 

“The pier!” Renee yelled suddenly. 

They were close to it, driving parallel to the water, so Helena turned so fast down an alley that the tires screeched. 

Shit, she thought. She would owe Dinah new tires. 

“I got an idea,” Renee said. 

“What is it?”

“Just drive!”

“Wh—“

“Don’t stop!”

They were nearing water. Nobody was around, thank god, but Helena was fearful Renee was going to lead them right into the water—

Renee grabbed the wheel, yanked it toward her, and the car turned almost at a full 90 degree angle. 

Into a barricade. 

The car chasing them flew into the water. It didn’t matter what happened to the guys because Helena was pushing at the airbag and panicking. 

“Fuck fuck fuck,” she said over and over, climbing out of the car. 

“You okay?” Renee asked. 

Helena thought that was stupid because did it even matter if she was okay if Dinah was just going to kill her? 

“Fuck fuck fuck,” she said again. 

“You’re alright.” Renee groaned as she got out of the car. She had a bloody nose, but other than that she was in one piece. 

Helena noticed belatedly that she was bleeding too, but that was second care compared to the steaming car smashed in front of her. 

“How mad is Dinah going to be?”

“On a scale from one to ten?” Renee chuckled and leaned back on the barricade they ran into. “I don’t think there’s an accurate scale for how mad she’s going to be.”

Helena ran a hand through her hair, then realized that’s where the blood was from. “Fuck fuck fuck...”

They decided to leave the car and walk home. It wasn’t insanely far, but now Helena was sure she was milking a head injury and Renee’s face didn’t look great. She called in a favor to get the car towed privately, without the need of police, and finally stumbled into the house around one in the morning. 

Dinah was home. “Where have you guys been? You were supposed to pick me up an hour ago and—“ 

When she finally noticed both of them had dried blood on their faces, she gasped. Naturally, she went right up to Helena and Renee went to the kitchen sink to begin cleaning her face. 

“What happened?!” Dinah asked, delicately touching the cut on Helena’s hairline. 

“I...may have wrecked your car.”

Dinah pulled her hand back like she was scorched by a hot iron. “May have?!”

“Okay, I wrecked your car.”

“What?! I leave you guys alone for an hour and you wreck my car?!”

“I’ll repair it, I promise! We got it towed and I’ll get it in the shop first thing in the morning. You know what? I’ll just buy you a new car, any car you want—“

Dinah practically growled. “You’re lucky you have a head injury or I’d be kicking your skinny white ass right now.”

Renee chuckled from the sink.

“Oh, and where were you?!” Dinah shouted.

“She turned the wheel!” Helena cried. 

“Oh my god, so it was both of you.” Dinah rubbed her eyes. “I can’t believe Quinn had my car for much longer and managed to keep it in one piece.”

Helena frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” Renee said. “And I’ll help with repairs or—“

“You come over to eat our food, you’re not helping with shit,” Dinah told her. “You are sleeping here tonight. I’m not being held responsible if you go home and die in your sleep because of a concussion.”

Renee held up her hands in surrender. 

Dinah turned to Helena again. “Come on. Let’s clean you up. Renee, help yourself to any pajamas in my drawer. I’ll check on you inwhile.”

With that, Dinah took Helena’s hand and dragged her to Helena’s bathroom. She stripped Helena to her underwear and sat her on the toilet. 

Helena was so tense. She sat still and straight as Dinah cleaned her up. 

“I’m not going to bite,” Dinah said. “Yes, I’m pissed, but I’m glad you’re okay. Whatever happened, I’m sure it could’ve been worse.”

Helena nodded. 

“I’ll kick your ass when you’re feeling better.”

Helena knew she was joking, thank goodness. She cracked a smile. 

“There it is,” Dinah muttered, lifting Helena’s chin to give her a kiss. 

They were silent again while Dinah delicately pulled flakes of dried blood out of Helena’s hair. Helena shut her eyes to just feel Dinah’s fingers. 

Dinah finally spoke when Helena suspected she was almost done. “You owe me more than fixing my car.”

Helena smiled again. “What do you want?”

“Dinner every night for a week,” Dinah said. “Back rubs. Hot baths. You know. Pamper me.”

Helena could totally do all of that. Hell, she’d pay to have the kitchen remodeled to be bigger for better meals and have the bathroom remodeled with a jacuzzi tub if Dinah wanted. 

“And once your head is better,” Dinah continued, “Nonstop orgasms for an entire day.”

Helena fully laughed. “You drive a hard bargain.”

Dinah kissed her again. The kiss lasted longer than the first. She pulled away before their kissing could get any more heated. 

“I am glad you’re okay,” Dinah said. “Seeing blood on your head actually reduced my anger.”

“I figured.”

Dinah kissed her forehead. “Let’s rest, okay? And I’ll think about not kicking your ass later.”

Helena’s smile didn’t fade. Dinah was allowed to be as mad as she wanted. Helena thought she deserved an ass-kicking. 

She was constantly reminded how good Dinah was. She could’ve been pissed, but she put it aside to take care of Helena. She always put taking care of someone over her own feelings. Helena heard that her mother did that, too. She took care of people. And Helena needed Dinah to take care of her, even without the head injury.

Dinah took Helena’s hand and led her to bed. She fluffed Helena’s pillow, laid her down, and made sure she was comfortable before walking around the bed to her side, where she usually would just climb over Helena. 

Helena rolled onto her side to look at Dinah. 

“Thanks for not kicking my ass,” Helena said. 

“Yet,” Dinah added. She turned onto her side, too. “You’re probably off the hook. Once I see it, I’ll probably just be glad you weren’t hurt more.” Dinah took a piece of Helena’s hair and twirled it with her fingers. 

Helena was comforted. And tired. Her eyes drifted shut.

She felt Dinah lean over. “Goodnight,” Dinah whispered, kissing her nose. 

Helena mumbled a goodnight, or she thought she did, because she fell asleep while Dinah played with her hair. 


	16. Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Do you want to have sex?” “Sure.” “Wait, really?” 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

One would think on mundane nights early to bed would be a reprieve. Helena and Dinah both often felt so bored with a quiet night that going to bed was how they escaped. Early dinner, early to bed.

On this particular night, it was early to bed and laying, staring at the ceiling, without even anything to say. It wasn’t one of Helena’s chatter days or quiet days, they just had nothing to talk about. 

“So...” Dinah whispered into the darkness. Her fingers played with the blankets on the bed. 

Helena mumbled, “So...”

Dinah truly had no idea what to say and she was very not tired. She thought about getting up to make some tea to put them both to sleep, but even that didn’t sound good.

She sighed. 

There was...one thing they could do...for the sake of tiring themselves out. Dinah just didn’t know Helena would be up for it. There’s usually some sort of lead up to sex, whether it was hot kisses or, like, date night. Then, it was just expected. 

Still, she thought at least trying was better than laying in the silence.

“You know,” Dinah said. “If we’re not going to sleep anyway...do you want to have sex?”

“Sure,” Helena immediately answered. She sat up and ripped her shirt off. 

“Wait, seriously?” Dinah asked, partly shocked. She really didn’t think Helena would go for it. 

Helena paused the folding of her shirt. “Were you not serious?”

“No, I...I mean, yeah. Yeah, we can.”

“You’re the one who asked.”

“I know I did. I just didn’t expect you to say yes.”

“Why wouldn’t I say yes?”

Dinah shrugged. “I just didn’t think you’d be in the mood.”

“I’m pretty much...” Helena dove under the covers. Dinah wondered what the hell she was doing until she emerged a second later with her pants in hand. She continued, “Always in the mood.”

Dinah agreed. “Fair.”

Helena finished folding her clothes and laying them on the bed next to her. She looked down at Dinah, who was still clothed and just watching. 

“Well?” Helena asked. 

Dinah sat up. She wasn’t sure where to start, but she finally settled on kissing Helena gently. Helena kissed back instantly, of course. 

Helena pushed Dinah onto her back and kissed her gently while removing her clothes. 

When they were naked and ready, Helena brought Dinah to a needed orgasm with fingers and tongue. After Dinah returned the favor, they were both well worn out, even if sex wasn’t exerting and maybe it was just the hour that caught up with them. It definitely wasn’t the most mediocre sex they’d ever had. But there weren’t nonstop fireworks. 

“So, that was...” Dinah mumbled. 

“It was...normal.”

“Normal,” Dinah agreed. 

Helena reached between them and took Dinah’s hand. “I’m glad we’re normal.”

Dinah realized she was right. They’d been together long enough that they know the foods the other wants without asking, they can tell when the other is cold on the couch watching television, they definitely know when the other needs quiet time. All in all, they know each other so well. They’re in a normal relationship. And it was wonderful. 

“Yeah,” Dinah finally agreed. “Me too.”


	17. Bathing Suit

Helena hated nothing more than shopping. She found it incredibly boring and malls and stores always have poor cell service and even worse lighting.

She’d tried a few times, shopping with Dinah. The first time, Dinah needed—wanted, Helena pointed out—a new outfit to begin her new set with a full band at the club. Helena agreed to go, because that’s what love is, right? But she kept the boredom and two-day headache to herself. 

The second time, Dinah wanted...something. And Helena’s headache was just as bad afterwards.

The third time was the charm and Helena asked Dinah if she could never go shopping again. 

But Dinah never had to go alone—Harley and Cass loved shopping. Especially because Helena always gave Cass spending money and she knew the kid shared with Harley. That was fine, Helena always gave her plenty, and after it was in Cass’s hands, it was hers to give away, too. Plus, Helena knew that Dinah made sure Cass bought something good for herself, whether it was a new coat or a new pair of shoes. Or a $200 backpack, because apparently an impending 9th grader needed that. 

It was early in the summer and Dinah took Cass and Harley shopping for bathing suits. Renee moves into a new apartment building with a really nice pool, and the girls were free to use it whenever they wanted. Dinah took it upon herself to take Cass bathing suit shopping because she wasn’t sure what Harley found age-appropriate for a thirteen year old. Cass could make her own decisions and it was her own body, but every woman in the group knew a thing or two about growing up too fast. 

Helena was blissfully alone all afternoon. She didn’t even have to cook because Dinah and the others were bringing pizza home. When she knew Dinah was close, she got some plates and napkins ready, along with a Coke for Cass and beers for the adults. 

The girls were home in no time, pizza and shopping bags in hand. They looked so happy and Helena was happy she didn’t have to go with them. 

“Hi honey,” Dinah said with a big, warm smile. She quickly put the pizza down and hugged Helena. “Miss me?”

“Of course,” Helena said, giving Dinah a kiss. 

Dinah instructed everyone to serve themselves. “I want to show you my bathing suits before I eat,” she said to Helena. “Try them on before.”

“Fashion show!” Harley cried. 

Helena nodded and got a slice of pizza. She headed for the couch, ready for the show. 

Dinah reached into a shopping bag. “I got beach towels, too.” She tossed a stack of towels to Helena. They were big and soft with bright designs. Perfect for a day at the pool, which Helena knew they’d spend all summer doing. 

Dinah took her remaining bags to the bedroom. Cass told Helena about their day, the things they saw and the crap they ate. Helena was glad they—especially Dinah—were able to have a good day without her. 

Dinah emerged from the bedroom a second later. Helena didn’t look up from her pizza before Harley cat-called Dinah. 

“Damn Canary, looking good!” Harley encouragingly said. 

“Yeah?”

Helena looked up as Dinah approached. As she took a drink. 

Helena snorted beer through her nose when she laid eyes on Dinah.

“It’s good,” Harley teased. Cass laughed loudly from the other side of the couch. 

Helena coughed to clear her airways as Dinah stood up straighter and flexed her abs. She looked like a freakin’ swimsuit model, all perfect curves and perfectly filled suit. 

“Do you like it?” Dinah asked Helena only. 

“I, uh...” Helena cleared her throat. She did like it. For her eyes. Not for any passerby’s to ogle her. “Is it a little...small?”

Dinah smiled. “Small? This is a perfect fit.”

It could be worse, Helena thought. Or better, depending on what she wanted to see. Not that this one left much to the imagination, with the bra-looking top barely covering Dinah’s breasts and pushing them up and the bottoms way low on her hip bones. Still, it was nice. Super sexy. 

“Let me try another one,” Dinah said, smiling with all dimples as she turned and left the room. 

Helena couldn’t help watching her as she went, her eyes traveling from the top knotted at her neck to her ass covered by the tiny bottoms. 

Helena was zoned out when Dinah disappeared behind the bedroom door. 

Harley nudged her. “You good, Killer?”

Helena nodded. “I—yeah.”

Harley and Cass just laughed at her. 

Dinah returned to the room two minutes later. The next suit was a black strapless one-piece, but the top part was sweetheart shaped. Dinah’s breasts were pushed up again and incredibly distracting. Helena’s mouth went dry again. 

“How’s this one?”

Helena licked her lips. “Fine.”

“Fine?!” Dinah cried. 

Harley chimed in. “Maybe push your tits up more, Canary.”

Dinah laughed as she did just that, adjusting her cleavage to reveal even more. Helena was mesmerized. She didn’t feel much better about anyone staring at her girlfriend in this one-piece. 

“Do you like it?” Dinah asked. 

Helena didn’t move. Harley reached over and tugged her head to make her nod. 

Dinah laughed. “One more. You’ll like it.”

Helena thought she would fucking die. 

Again, Harley and Cass teased her when Dinah left. Helena just quietly got a drink before Dinah could come back and make a fool of her again. 

A minute later, Dinah was back. This time, she was in a tiny, tiny, tiny gold bikini. The edges of the triangle top were mesh, showing even more skin. 

Helena could not let anybody else see Dinah in that, even if it was Cass and Harley. And maybe it wasn’t appropriate for Cass to even see—Helena didn’t let her watch rated-R movies under their roof. She grabbed a towel, jumped off the couch, and stood in front of Dinah, effectively covering her with the towel. 

Harley and Cass were dying with loud laughter. 

Helena stood her ground in front of Dinah as Dinah took the towel and laughed, too. 

“Are you okay?” Dinah asked. 

“It’s not appropriate for children,” Helena insisted. 

Dinah grinned and whispered, “For your eyes only, then?” 

Helena liked the thought of that. Maybe they could make the pool scarce and have it for themselves for a night. Just them, that bathing suit, and the water. 

Dinah kissed her cheek. “I’ll go put something kid-friendly on. Want to supervise?”

Helena nodded. 

Dinah took her hand and pulled her to the bedroom, clearing ignoring Harley and Cass’s teasing cat-calls and yells. Still, Helena knew they couldn’t be gone long because that was weird. 

When they got to the bedroom, Dinah turned to Helena. “What do you really think?”

Helena grabbed her and pushed her to the wall next to the door. She latched her lips to Dinah’s neck. 

“Good?” Dinah sighed, holding Helena’s head.

“So fucking hot,” Helena mumbled hotly into her neck. Her hands trailed up her body, grazing her chest and landing at her neck. 

Dinah caught her lips and pushed her back, walking them to the bed and pushing Helena to sit. She climbed on Helena’s lap and Helena lived for the view. 

But, she still had Harley and Cass out in the living room in mind. 

“We can’t fuck,” Helena said. 

Dinah groaned. “I’ll put it on later.”

“Fucking yes please.”

Dinah ground her hips against Helena. She held Helena’s face and kissed her deeply. 

Helena got lost for a moment, feeling Dinah’s skin where she was holding her and Dinah’s mouth hot on hers. 

But reality snapped back the moment she felt the smooth material of a bathing suit, remembering instantly what they were doing and why Dinah was even wearing the suit in the first place. Freakin’ Harley and Cass. 

Helena pulled away. “I’d better go back out.”

Dinah groaned again and climbed off Helena. She threw herself onto the bed and didn’t attempt to move as Helena got up.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Dinah said. 

“You okay?” Helena asked, peering down at her. She looked so amazing that Helena almost had to tear her eyes away. 

“Just didn’t expect this reaction from a bathing suit.”

“What, you didn’t think I’d like it?”

“I didn’t think you’d find it sexy.”

Helena snorted. “Are you kidding? You’re sexy in a t-shirt and sweat pants.”

Dinah smiled, all dimples. She sat up. “That’s nice,” she said.

Helena kissed her forehead. “I’ll go back out.”

“I’ll be right there,” Dinah agreed. 

Minutes after Helena, after Harley and Cass’s teasing—‘Helena and Dinah sittin’ in a tree...’—Dinah finally joined them again. This time, she was in a big t-shirt and sweatpants. 

Helena still felt her pulse quicken and her heart race. Because Dinah was sexy in anything. 


	18. Drunk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Don’t kink shame me!” “I don’t think that’s a kink.”

Helena was a good drinker.

Like, she wasn’t a sloppy drunk. She got drunk, she could drink a lot, but she was a good drinker in that she could hold intelligent conversations and walk in a straight line still. 

She also didn’t get completely plastered, vomit on her own shoes, pass out somewhere random drunk. She always knew how to get home and remembered to drink water before falling asleep in her own bed. 

What she did do while completely, totally drunk was talk. Like her talkative days, she was a nonstop chatter box, but unlike her talkative days where she always had something new in mind to say, when she was drunk she just repeated different variations of the same thing over and over. 

Tonight, she was telling Dinah how much she loved her. That was her loop of thought. Sometimes she talked nonstop about her bike, or if they were alone it was something about childhood, or it was the entire plot stories of all the television shows she’d been binging. But tonight, after being at the club because Dinah had a set and a shift on bar, and Helena watching her for almost four hours straight, all she had in mind was Dinah. 

Helena was seated next to a woman at the end of the bar. Or rather, the woman ended up next to her at the busy bar to order her drink. 

Dinah finally made her way over. Helena smiled like she was visiting her, but Dinah just looked at the other woman waiting for a drink.

“What’ll you have?” Dinah asked nicely. 

“Your number!” Helena joked. 

The woman kind of chuckled and glanced at Helena, clearly also uncomfortable. 

“No it’s okay!” Helena said, “I’m not creepy, she’s my girlfriend.”

The woman laughed, then. “Oh thank god, I was going to say something.”

Dinah laughed, too. “Well, part of that is true. She is my girlfriend but she is also a creep. What can I get for you?”

The woman ordered four drinks for her and her friends. Two were simple martinis but two were complicated. 

Dinah whistled. “Those are toughies. Give me a minute, okay?”

“You can do the martinis and I can tell you the other two again,” the woman offered. “I know, my friends are ridiculous.”

“No, no, it’s good. I’ll remember.” Dinah tapped her head. 

“She’s so smart!” Helena offered. 

Dinah just rolled her eyes and left. 

“You’re a lucky lady,” the woman told Helena as soon as Dinah left. “She’s talented.”

“Oh, I know right! Her voice is incredible. She can literally shatter glass.” 

“She has a great range. She could probably be a professional singer, you know do albums and stuff?”

“I tell her that all the time!” Helena agreed. “She’s incredible. And no formal training, either. She’s just that good. Not like me. I trained for fifteen years.”

“Oh?” the woman was interested. “What do you do?”

“Oh, I k—“

Dinah returned right on time with a small tray of four drinks. “Here you go!”

“Thanks! I’ll start a tab.” 

Dinah took the woman’s information on the Square on the bar’s iPad. Helena just watched admiringly while Dinah interacted with the woman so kindly. Dinah was so good at her job. 

When the woman left, Dinah looked at Helena.

“You are so nice,” Helena said. Shouted. 

“I know,” Dinah replied, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. 

“How do you know?!”

“You told me thirty-five minutes ago.” She pushed the glass of water in front of Helena. 

“Because you are! Can I have some more whisky?”

“After the water,” Dinah told her. “Slow down a little. You almost told that girl your secret.”

“What? That I love you?”

Dinah chuckled. “Not a secret.”

“Good.” Helena leaned forward, lips puckered for a kiss. 

Dinah chuckled and glanced around. Helena just leaned even more over the bar. 

Dinah finally rolled her eyes, hopped up, and kissed Helena quickly. 

There was a whistle from the other side of the bar as Dinah hopped down. 

“Canary!” It was Dinah’s boss, Annie. 

Helena knew Annie didn’t mind Helena hanging around or Dinah giving her kisses over the bar. Annie was a very kind and loving woman—and despite being allowed to have free drinks, Helena always left an ample “donation”. 

Annie was smiling. “How many people have been waiting for drinks because Miss Canary has been locking lips with the creep at the end of the bar?”

Helena threw her hand up in the air. Most people at the bar laughed, and two people slowly raised their hands. 

“Shots for all!” Annie said, “On the creep ogling my bartender!” 

Everyone cheered, and Helena just held up her glass of water in cheers. Dinah rolled her eyes—again— and left Helena to pour every person standing at the bar a shot of whatever they wanted a shot of. When she was done, she took a shot of tequila to Helena and downed one with her. 

Helena watched her intently, the line of her throat as she swallowed, the raise of her chest as she tried to breathe it down. 

“So hot,” Helena mumbled. 

Dinah cleared her throat. “What?”

“I said you’re hot!” Helena yelled over the music. So loud that some people laughed. 

“Keep it in your pants, killer,” Dinah said with a wink before taking Helena’s glass and leaving her once again. 

The people standing nearest Helena were still chuckling. 

“She’s my girlfriend!” Helena proudly told them. 

Every time Dinah returned to Helena, Helena yelled another ridiculous complement at her. 

“Your little apron-thingy is cute!”

“Your hair looks nice pulled back like that!”

“You are really good at pouring drinks!”

“You were really nice to those guys who were trying to hit on you!”

Dinah was really good at rolling her eyes; she did it so often. Helena just smiled and accepted either water or a drink, then told whoever was next to her that Dinah was her girlfriend. 

Finally, Dinah’s shift ended and Annie said she’d clean up.

“You need to get your creep home,” Annie said lovingly. Somehow, she called Helena a creep with admiration. 

Dinah looked back at Helena, who was draped over the bar, on her back, and was counting her fingers above her head. Dinah chuckled. 

“Fucking weirdo,” Annie said. “You get her home, ‘kay?”

Dinah nicely kissed Annie’s cheek, then grabbed her jacket and walked towards Helena. 

Helena hopped off the bar when Dinah approached. 

“Hi, honey!” Helena excitedly yelled. She draped an arm around Dinah. 

Dinah held her around the waist. “Let’s get you home.”

“You want to take me home,” Helena flirted. 

“I mean, duh. You need sleep.”

“I need you,” Helena joked, kissing Dinah’s cheek. 

Dinah turned her head and kissed Helena. 

Helena chattered sweetly all the way home, about everything she observed about Dinah at the club and everything everyone else must’ve seen. Her gorgeous smile. Her friendliness that Helena envied. Her warmth. Her light. Her easy breeze. 

Once they stumbled into the bedroom, Dinah practically tossed Helena onto the bed. Helena laid down instead of taking her clothes off, shoes on the bed and all. Dinah just left her and went to the bathroom. 

“But you know what I really love about you?” she called. 

“I have a feeling you’re gonna tell me,” Dinah muttered. 

Helena counted on her fingers. “I love your laugh. I love your dimples. I love your nose ring. I love your eyes. I love your voice. I love that blue bra-thing you wear for me sometimes.”

Helena got up. She went to the bathroom where Dinah was rinsing the soap from her face. She leaned against the doorframe and watched Dinah. 

“I just think you’re the best person ever. And you’re really hot. And I feel really lucky that I get to be the one who sees you naked.”

Dinah laughed and patted her face with a towel. “You’re a horny drunk.”

“Hey, unfair. I’m always horny for you.”

Dinah chuckled. “That’s fair.” She finished with her nightly routine and went to Helena. She was down to her underwear because her pajamas were in the bedroom. She wrapped her arms around Helena’s neck and pressed against her.

Helena hummed appreciatively. “You are so fucking perfect. Have I told you that before?”

Dinah laughed at her. Helena knew Dinah was laughing at her, but she didn’t mind as much. 

“You’re so weird,” Dinah said. 

“Hey, I just love you. Don’t kink shame me.”

“Honey, I don’t think loving someone is a kink.”

“Yeah? Gets me hot, though.”

“Didn’t we just agree that everything gets you hot?”

Helena kissed Dinah’s cheek. “That’s fair,” she mumbled against Dinah’s skin.

Dinah leaned her head back to give Helena better access to press feather-light kisses against her skin. 

Dinah dug a hand into Helena’s hair to hold her there. 

“Time for bed,” Dinah said, breathless from Helena kissing her neck. 

“You want me in bed?” Helena sucked a kiss then. 

“Yes, for sleep.”

Helena kicked up to her ear. “No fun,” she whispered. 

“I know,” Dinah said. “But sometimes the fun parts of a relationship is getting to take care of your hungover girlfriend.”

Helena snorted. “I do not get hungover.”

“Mmm,” Dinah sighed. She leaned back and looked at Helena’s face. 

Helena knew she had a dopey grin on her lips and her eyes were heavy lidded. She was tired. And drunk. 

“I love you,” Dinah said anyway.

“I love you too,” Helena happily said back. She kissed Dinah, but when she closed her eyes to really feel it, she felt like she might’ve fallen asleep. 

Dinah laughed, holding up Helena’s drooping body. “Okay, let’s go.”

“But I have more to tell you what I love about you. I love you.”

“Dream about them,” Dinah said, sitting her on the bed again. She quickly got Helena’s boots off. 

“I dream about you all the time,” Helena said, falling back against the bed. 

As Helena mumbled about Dinah once more, about her hair and her nice teeth and her shoe collection and the ticklish spot behind her thigh, Dinah got her clothes off and managed to push Helena’s solid body to the head of the bed. 

“I love you,” Helena sighed again. 

Dinah leaned over her, pressed a kiss to her neck. “Love you too, killer.”

Helena drifted to sleep with a smile on her face and her girlfriend in her thoughts. 


	19. Drunk pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dinah drunk.  
> Prompt: “Don’t be a dick.”
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Dinah liked to drink, too. Usually, she had a drink after set, just to calm down. Sometimes she drank while at the bar, but it was only if Helena asked her to take a shot with her. She didn’t drink for anyone else on the job.

Dinah used to get blackout drunk. When she was a young(er) adult, she would get blackout drunk and wake up with her head in a toilet. Sometimes, it wasn’t her toilet. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t like anything at the time. 

Now, she got a low-level of drunk and still didn’t like a lot. 

She was an aggressive drunk, though. 

“You know what?” Dinah yelled in the face of a giant man outside of a bar. “Fuck you, dude! Fuck you!” 

Helena grabbed her around the waist. “Dinah, Di—“

“Yeah, grab your bitch,” the guy yelled. 

Helena squeezed her eyes shut and pulled at Dinah. She was not about to fight a drunk guy because her girlfriend yelled at him first. 

She would. But she wasn’t about to. 

“Fucking bitch?!” Dinah yelled over Helena’s shoulder. “Bitch?!”

“Okay,” Helena picked Dinah up. Just lifted her off the ground. 

“What the fuck?!” Dinah yelled, her face even with Helena’s lower back. “Put me down!”

“No,” Helena coolly said. 

They were having a nice date. They decided to go dancing. Dinah didn’t get like this a lot, she didn’t always try to fight strangers in bars. Something was bothering her, and Helena didn’t know what. Sure, she always got aggressive. She always got assertive, dominant, and Helena thought her drunk toughness tried to match her powerful voice. 

But tonight? Something about Dinah was off. Helena had seen her completely flip out twice before. She knew to just get Dinah home. Hold her tight in a cold shower. Feed her a cookie and kiss her forehead. Then, Dinah would be good as new. 

They got three blocks away from the bar. Dinah was still kicking and smacking at Helena’s ass. 

“I’m not putting you down until you’re done,” Helena said. 

She learned that as a little kid. When she was throwing a fit, her mother would squeeze her until she calmed down. It always worked. 

They got another block and Dinah finally calmed. 

“Okay!” she yelled. 

Helena stopped on the street. She bent and dropped Dinah to the ground. All the way down; Dinah sat on the damp cement. 

Helena didn’t want to intimidate—she sat cross-legged across from Dinah. 

Dinah had her knees to her chest, arms up on her knees to cover her face. 

“What’s happening?” Helena asked. 

“Nothing.”

“I’ll leave you here,” Helena threatened. 

“Don’t be a dick, Helena.”

“I’m a dick?” 

“Yeah, you know what, you are a fucking dick. I was fine back there—“

Helena snorted. 

Dinah lifted her head. “I don’t know what my problem is, okay? I just...I don’t feel right. Okay?”

Helena nodded. “I know.” 

“You d—“

“I don’t,” Helena agreed. She didn’t. Her and Dinah did have different situations. Dinah only had one parent when she lost her mom. She was older and took care of herself because almost nobody took in orphan teenagers. She grew up alone on the streets of Gotham. Helena didn’t want to compare their stories, she never did. No two people had the same situation. She didn’t know. 

“I don’t know,” Helena said again. “Tell me.”

Right there. On the street. 

Dinah sighed. “I just think a lot, alright? When I drink, you know? When you have little thought. I just remember...everything.”

“Do you want to tell me?”

It was almost two minutes before Dinah spoke. Helena just stared at her. 

“I just...” Dinah sighed. “I remember the cop finding me on the way home. I was supposed to be home hours before, but I decided to go to my friend’s house. My mom...she told me not to. She wanted me home that afternoon. I don’t know why. Maybe she knew I was going to be home at 3:30 and she was going to die at 6:43 P.M.”

Helena didn’t say anything. 

“She told me that morning to go straight home. I ignored it. I rolled my eyes at her and she grabbed my face. ‘Dinah,’ she said, ‘Can you do one thing I want for once?’ I rolled my eyes again. I agreed, but I knew even then I didn’t mean it. Brittany’s parents weren’t home until 7 and they had alcohol.” Dinah chuckled. “Actually, it was super watered down alcohol because we drank it every afternoon and filled it back up with water. It was almost pure water.”

Helena still didn’t say anything. 

Dinah took a deep breath. “Brittany’s brother walked me home. He was a year younger than us, but he was a gentleman, you know? I lived three blocks away and it was still light outside, but he insisted.

“Big burly cop came up to us on the sidewalk. I don’t remember anything except dropping my bag on the street. Charlie picked up my tampons that fell out. A gentleman.”

Helena was still quiet. 

“They drove me to my grandma’s, but I couldn’t stay there long. I guess, I don’t know, someone, kept my house paid for and I got to stay. Neighbors checked in. But...nobody really wanted me around.”

Helena nodded. She could relate to that. Sicily wasn’t warm. 

“I don’t know what triggers it,” Dinah continued. “I just feel...so fucking angry.”

Helena nodded. She got that, too. She was angry, too. 

She didn’t say that. Sometimes someone just wanted someone to listen instead of saying, ‘Me too’.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Dinah said, rubbing her face. “I just feel so bad. I wanna fucking strangle someone or cry or eat a bunch of shit or keep drinking or fuck.”

It began to rain again. Just a light Spring sprinkle, not enough to make them too cold, so Helena didn’t move. 

Helena just breathed. She wasn’t always good at comforting, it was usually just a well-timed hug or kiss on the forehead. (She even tried to kiss Renee on the forehead once. Renee rightfully slapped her.)

She stared at Dinah. She thought Dinah was crying, or maybe it was just the rain. She didn’t want to ask. 

Dinah finally spoke. “I miss her.”

Helena could relate, a little bit. She missed her mom, too. What she could remember. She missed how her mother always smelled of roses and made her wear dresses. She missed her mother’s cooking and how her mother always gave her a cookie right before bed. She missed how her mother would hold her and brush her hair. She missed her mother’s voice speaking Italian and catching glimpses of her parents kissing. 

“Tell me about her,” Helena said instead of all that. There was time for that later. 

Dinah wiped her eyes. “She was just...the best, you know? She was the nicest person alive. Always open to everyone. Always up for helping people. She was everything I should be. With my power. I should do more.”

“You do a lot,” Helena instantly said. “You do...more than a lot.”

Dinah shook her head. “No, my mom was everything. A real hero. She teamed with the GCPD. Like, an official hero. I’m just—“

“Weren’t you in the Justice League?”

Dinah chuckled. “How’d you know about that?”

“I hear things.”

“Yeah, alright. It was a phase. But I didn’t fit, you know? I’m no Wonder Woman.”

Helena knew that feeling, too. She wasn’t a hero. She killed people. She literally had a hit list at age 12. 

“I just...” Dinah took a deep breath. She stopped crying. That was a good sign. She continued. “I feel awful. Like half the time. And I can’t imagine how you feel—“

“This isn’t about me.”

“No, I know, but—“

Helena stopped her. “Dinah. This isn’t about me. You’re allowed to feel awful. Don’t compare yourself to others.”

Dinah nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Don’t apologize. If I want to talk, or, you know, pick a fight with a man double my size, I will. For now, I’m listening to you.”

Dinah’s eyes softened a little bit. “I love you, you know that?”

“I’ve been told.”

Dinah fully laughed at that. “Humble.”

Helena shrugged. 

Dinah looked up at the sky. She looked gorgeous in the rain. Her eyes shut and Helena wondered what she felt. Calm? Anger boiling? 

“Thank you for listening,” Dinah said suddenly. 

“Of course. I’m always here to listen.”

Dinah looked at her. “You’re not a dick.”

“I didn’t think I was.”

Dinah smiled. “I mean, you can be. Like, when you’re clearly winning at pool and still gloating. Or when you eat the last slice of pie and act like you have no fuckin’ clue where it went.”

“I maintain that that wasn’t me.”

Dinah laughed. Helena loved making her laugh, even if it was over some stupid joke. She wanted Dinah to laugh forever. 

Dinah held out her hand. “Take me home.”

Helena quickly stood, grabbing Dinah’s hand and pulling her up, too. They walked hand in hand down the street, and Helena could tell Dinah wasn’t so angry. Well, not as angry as she was when she tried to pick a fight with a strange man outside a bar. 

Helena just held her hand tight. That’s all she could do until she could get Dinah in a warming shower and under their covers. She’d take care of Dinah when she felt awful the next morning. She’ll hold Dinah close as she presumes the Canary will sleep all day the following day. She’ll do nothing but love Dinah. 

No matter who she tried to pick a fight with. 


	20. First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their first time. 
> 
> Explicit.
> 
> Prompt: “Can I make you do that again?”
> 
> Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading!

A week.

That’s how long it took them to “take things slow”. 

After that first night, just sleeping in Dinah’s bed, there were kisses and stolen glances and so much more flirting than there was before, if that was possible. There were soft touches everywhere, and Helena found that one of her favorite places to touch Dinah was her back, and Helena liked to be touched on her stomach. It was intimate, places nobody else touched. 

There were rough and hidden make-outs, too. In the hallway to the bathroom at the club, in Dinah’s car before they got out to meet everyone, in their own kitchen. Nowhere was off limits if nobody could see. Dinah always ended up with her arms around Helena’s neck to reel her in even further. 

After a week of frantic kissing and longing, they were ready. Helena was ready. She hadn’t asked Dinah yet. She assumed Dinah would be ready, but she would ask. First, she’d start with the kisses on the couch. 

The television was muted in the background, because Helena found it extremely distracting. Dinah must’ve been used to televisions just playing, but Helena wasn’t yet. So she’d muted it as soon as Dinah first put her hands on Helena’s face to pull her in. 

She loved Dinah’s hands on her. Dinah had smaller hands, and they were soft and gentle. Not spidery and rough like Helena’s own. 

Their kisses always got very hot very fast. It was if they couldn’t get close enough. Well, Helena knew how they could get physically closer: sex. But she hadn’t asked yet. She would—

Dinah pushed at Helena until she was flat on her back, then climbed on top of her. Helena’s brain short circuited when Dinah’s thighs bracketed her hips and Dinah sought out her mouth again. 

Helena wasn’t entirely sure what to do with her hands. They were fine on Dinah’s back, just holding her close, but Dinah’s hands were experimenting everywhere. She ran her fingers through Helena’s hair, touched her face, her neck, skimmed her chest and arms. Dinah knew what to do with her hands. Helena was stiff. 

Helena was in heaven, though. Dinah was on top of her. Dinah’s tongue was in her mouth. Even if she wasn’t contributing much, it felt incredible. 

Dinah must’ve realized Helena was stiff as a board, because she broke their kiss and pushed up on her arms to hover over Helena. 

“Is this okay?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. “Yes.”

“Are you okay?” 

“Yes.”

“You’re just extremely stiff. I don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

Helena wanted to be honest. She didn’t want Dinah to worry. “I just, uh...I don’t know what to do with my hands.”

Dinah slowly cracked a smile. She looked down at Helena like she was gold. 

“Lemme help,” Dinah said, then sat up on Helena’s hips. She grabbed Helena’s hands that were still on her back and put them on her own ass. “How’s that?”

Helena was speechless. “That’s...I...you...” Finally, she just nodded. 

“Touch me wherever you want,” Dinah said. 

“I...okay,” Helena stumbled. “You too.”

With a big grin, Dinah fell back down for a kiss. 

The kisses got good again. Helena, more relaxed with that little bit of permission to touch, ran tentative hands over Dinah’s thighs and hips. 

Dinah began to kiss her everywhere. She kissed from Helena’s lips to her jaw, down her neck. Helena’s head tilted back and she was sure she was going to die that night, just from Dinah’s lips alone. She couldn’t imagine sex would get any better, and they were still clothed. 

Dinah thought to do something about that first. She sat back on her knees again and pulled at her own top. 

“Should I take it off?” she asked, teasing. 

Helena nodded. 

Dinah pulled the bottom hem of the shirt and brought it over her head, and Helena needed a taste instantly. She didn’t know a lot. But she knew Dinah’s skin was going to taste incredible. 

She sat up before Dinah was fully out of her shirt and kissed her collarbone. 

Dinah sighed, almost a moan. It was close. Helena wanted to hear her. She wanted to make Dinah feel good. 

Helena kissed up to Dinah’s neck. Dinah’s fingers pulled her hair, like they always did. Helena licked experimentally at different parts of Dinah’s neck, then picked a spot and sucked. 

To her pleasure, Dinah did moan. Loud. She also ground her hips down against Helena. 

Helena, surprised, squeezed her hands on Dinah’s ass. 

“Wow, killer,” Dinah chuckled. “The fuck?”

Helena relaxed her hands. “I’m sorry. That sound you made...”

“Sorry,” Dinah offered back. “I’ll try not to—“

“No,” Helena gently kissed Dinah’s jaw. “Can I make you do it again?”

Dinah smiled, all dimples, and led Helena’s head to the other side of her neck. “Right here...” she signed, so Helena swiped her tongue over Dinah’s skin before sucking there, too. 

Dinah groaned, long and loud. Helena was less shocked that time so she didn’t squeeze Dinah painfully hard. But she loved it. She loved pulling sounds from the Canary, loved making Dinah feel good. She wanted to make Dinah feel even better. 

“Are we going to have sex?” Helena asked abruptly. 

Dinah paused. She pulled Helena’s head back so they could look each other in the eye. 

Helena thought she said the wrong thing, since Dinah didn’t immediately say yes. Maybe asking was the wrong thing. Maybe Dinah didn’t want to. Maybe...

“You’re incredible, you know that?” Dinah finally said. 

“What? Why?”

“Because nobody straight up asks. There’s always, like, an awkward conversation or no conversation or just assumptions, and I think if you were anyone else you’d have your hand in my pants already, but you’re you and you’re incredible so you asked first.”

“Of course I did,” Helena said, feeling weird suddenly. “That’s a shitty thing not to ask.”

“I know,” Dinah said. She must have sensed Helena felt self-conscious, because she kissed Helena quickly and said, “It’s a great thing to ask. That’s why you’re incredible.”

Helena relaxed, but she didn’t have an answer. And she didn’t want to pry, or provoke anything, so she didn’t say, ‘Okay but are we?!’ like she wanted to. Instead, she let Dinah kiss her again. 

Finally, Dinah must have remembered she didn’t answer, because she pulled away enough to free her mouth but kept her forehead against Helena’s. 

“I want to have sex. Do you?”

Helena eagerly nodded. “Yes, please.”

Dinah smiled. Helena couldn’t help but smile back. Dinah surged forward for a kiss again. 

In no time, Dinah was making those noises because of Helena’s kisses, and Helena knew she needed to act. She was flat on the couch again but wanted to be on top, so she tried to turn them and—

Practically threw Dinah off her and off the couch. Dinah landed on her back with a thud. 

“Oh my god!” Helena cried. “Dinah! Are you okay?”

Dinah was silent, but she had a huge smile on her face. 

“I’m so sorry!” Helena cried.

Dinah let out a full laugh. “Just get down here.”

Helena slinked off the couch and settled on top of Dinah, which was better but she still felt bad. Dinah didn’t let her dwell though, because she just kissed Helena again, a smile still on her lips. 

Everything began to happen faster than before. Dinah tugged at the fly of Helena’s jeans first, so Helena sat back on her heels to help the process of getting naked. She pulled her shirt over her head while Dinah undid her jeans and began tugging them down her hips. 

“You’re so...” Dinah began, then paused. 

“What?” Helena asked, setting her shirt next to Dinah’s on the couch. 

“...pale.”

Helena paused, then processed what Dinah said and chuckled. “Uh, thanks?”

Dinah laughed. “I’m sorry, I just noticed. You need some sun, babe.”

“I just burn. It’s not pretty.” Helena worked on Dinah’s jeans. 

“I’ll rub lotion on you,” Dinah said. 

Helena liked the thought. She wanted Dinah’s hands on her. 

“Come back,” Dinah pleaded, so Helena laid over her again. 

Dinah was way more goal oriented and focused than Helena. Helena was lost in kisses, lost in thought, but Dinah was proactive. She pushed Helena’s jeans just as far as she could, touching Helena’s exposed skin. She also scratched her short nails up Helena’s back to her bra. 

Helena wanted to be completely naked, and she wanted Dinah’s clothes off too, but she wasn’t sure how to make that happen while still attached. So, she rolled off Dinah to lay next to her, then yanked her jeans off. 

Dinah laughed. “Okay, I get it,” she said, doing the same. “Undressing each other is sexier in thought.”

“I just want to move it along,” Helena said. 

Dinah was still laughing. “Alright, let’s see...”

Dinah got up on her knees and pulled Helena’s underwear down. She worked her own off, then got her bra off, then laid next to Helena again. 

Once they were naked enough and attached at the lips once more, Dinah began teasing Helena everywhere with her fingers. She tickled at Helena’s ribs and stomach, where Helena wouldn’t have even thought was ticklish, then down to the tops of her thighs and hips. 

Helena felt sparks where Dinah touched, and she never wanted Dinah to stop. With their legs intwined, she felt Dinah everywhere. She also wanted to feel Dinah’s skin everywhere. She grazed her fingers over Dinah’s breasts and stomach, never pausing to make Dinah moan. 

Dinah broke apart with a loud groan when Helena rubbed one of her nipples to hardness. “Spread your legs,” she whispered, so Helena did. 

She knew she was wet and ready for Dinah, whatever she was going to do. And she didn’t feel as nervous as she thought she would. But she didn’t know just how incredible it would feel when Dinah first swiped between her folds. Her back arched off the floor and she groaned loudly. 

“Like that?” Dinah asked.

Helena nodded. Hell yes she did. 

Dinah pulled her hand back to suck on her fingers, which Helena appreciated because once she went back in it was just hot wetness she felt. Dinah’s fingers expertly circled her opening before Dinah pushed one finger in. 

“Oh my god,” Helena sighed. She needed Dinah in her. More. Moving. Fucking her sweetly. 

Dinah kissed her jaw. “You’re incredible,” she whispered. “So fucking hot.”

Helena wanted to say something else, wanted to tell Dinah she was gorgeous and perfect and how much she loved her, but words were lost traveling from her brain because Dinah was pushing her finger in and out and nothing else mattered. 

Helena scratched Dinah’s back and arm. She moaned and sighed as Dinah added another finger and amped up her thrusts. 

“Fuck, fuck...” Helena sighed, hips stuttering off the floor. 

“I want you to come so bad,” Dinah said. “Fuck, you’re so sexy, baby.”

Helena knew she would come very soon. Because of first time excitement or Dinah’s seeming expertise, Helena wasn’t sure, but she just needed—

Dinah circled her thumb over Helena’s clit and that was it. Helena cried out, thrust against Dinah’s fingers and lost herself to the feel of Dinah. 

It seemed to last forever, and Helena severely hoped sex always felt that way. It finally slowed when Dinah slowly pulled her fingers out, and Helena opened her eyes to see Dinah sucking her fingers clean. 

“Jesus...” Helena sighed. She felt sweat forming on her chest and worn out.

Dinah smiled down at her. “Yeah?”

Helena nodded. “Yeah.”

Dinah looked triumphant. “That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

Helena doubted it, but she didn’t say that. Instead, she kissed Dinah and tasted herself from Dinah’s tongue. 

She needed to touch Dinah now. It was her turn. Helena trailed her fingers down Dinah’s side to her thigh. 

“Can I touch you now?” Helena asked. 

Dinah nodded, then straddled one of Helena’s thighs and got on top of her. She pushed the knee between Helena’s legs to under Helena’s thigh, so they were both spread and touching and Helena wasn’t sure how but it was heaven. 

Dinah took Helena’s hand and positioned it at her pussy. 

“I want to fuck you,” Dinah said. 

Helena thought she looked incredible. She could live the rest of her life under Dinah if she wanted. Anywhere on Dinah, really. Nothing else mattered. 

She began to rub her fingers against Dinah, feeling the moisture coming from her entrance. She spread some around her fingers, which she wondered if that was right, but Dinah groaned and swirled her hips. 

“Like that, baby,” Dinah sighed, so Helena kept doing it, just feeling Dinah out.

Dinah didn’t seem to mind that she was just experimenting what to do. She let out soft moans and encouragement. 

“Do you want me to...” Helena began, eyes where they were connected. 

Dinah grabbed her wrist. She moved Helena’s hand a little bit to just be touching her clit. 

“Right there,” Dinah sighed, “That’s it right now...” 

Helena hardly had to do anything but hold her hand where Dinah could rub against her. She wondered if she should do more, but Dinah was in control, and with the moans she was letting fall from her lips, Helena assumed she was having a good time. 

Dinah was hovering over her, close enough for Helena to take one of her breasts in hand and pitch her face forward to catch a nipple between her lips. She sucked at the same time as twirling her fingers over Dinah, and Dinah’s hips stuttered erratically. 

“Fuck, Helena...oh my god, don’t stop, baby...”

Helena never would. 

She switched to Dinah’s other nipple, sucked it in her mouth while Dinah continued to moan out sexy sighs and Helena’s name over and over. Helena wanted to hear it forever. She wanted to pleasure Dinah forever. She was going to research all the ways she could continue making Dinah cry out like that. She didn’t stop moving her fingers. 

“Fuck!” Dinah yelled, hips stilling suddenly. “Fuck, Helena!”

Helena just kept touching Dinah’s clit and sucking on her skin until she felt Dinah’s hand close around her wrist again. 

“Okay, baby, okay...” Dinah sighed. 

Helena paused. She brought her hand away. “I’m sorry, did I—“

“You made me come,” Dinah said. “Fuck, you’re so amazing.”

Helena couldn’t help but smile. Make her girlfriend orgasm: check. 

“No need to look cocky,” Dinah teased, not untangling from Helena but falling even more on her. 

Helena wrapped her arms around Dinah to hold her tight. “I’m not cocky.”

Dinah looked at her face. “You have the same grin you get when you shoot someone.”

Helena’s smile grew. “I like doing a good job.”

Dinah kissed her cheek. “You did a great job.”

Helena really wanted to make it better, though. She could. She could treat Dinah right. 

Dinah kissed her lips. “What do you say we move to bed for round two?”

“Round two?” Helena asked. “You want to keep going?”

“Baby, I don’t want you dressed for the next week.”

Helena liked the sound of that. Instead of letting Dinah rest for any longer, she quickly sat up and got off the floor. 

“Geez, do you even need me?” Dinah joked. 

Helena held out a hand to help her up. “I always need you.”

Dinah got up. She pressed against Helena, hugging her tight. 

Helena kissed her gently, then began walking her backwards to the bedroom. 

Not getting dressed did not last an entire week, not with the interruptions of life. But Helena knew Dinah wasn’t going anywhere. And they had plenty more time after the first time. 


	21. Binge

Helena’s life was a series of missed references.

For the few months of being with the Birds, she was seemingly always at a loss for jokes. Even the kid knew more than she did. 

There were dropped, “You’re her lobster!”

Or, “Cass and Harley in the morning!”

Or, “Let’s hug it out, bitch.”

Or, “It’s going to be legendary.”

Or, “Give me all the bacon and eggs you have.”

Or, “What the fork?”

Or, “Name of Montoya’s sex tape.”

Or, of course, “That’s what she said.”

Every time, whoever said the references was awarded with laughter that said everyone else in the group understood it, but Helena had no idea what any of it meant or why any of the words were funny. 

Who’s a lobster? What’s with the bacon and eggs? What the hell was with the sex tape? Who is she? 

Helena finally seemed to snap one day. Cass had just dropped, “That’s what she said.” for the fifth time in less than an hour, all well received with the other women, and Helena set her beer bottle down too hard. 

“Who the fuck is she?!” Helena cried. “And why do you keep saying that?!”

The other three women paused their laughter and looked at her. 

“Wait, what?!” Cass asked. 

Dinah smacked at the kid’s arm. 

“No, what? What am I missing?” Helena asked. 

Cass looked surprised. “You’ve never seen The Office?”

Renee shushed her. “Of course she hasn’t.”

“Oh,” Cass sighed, then a second later seemed to realize why Helena wouldn’t have seen The Office. “Oh...” 

Dinah turned to Helena. “It’s just a joke, baby. It’s from a television show.”

“So who is she?”

Helena could tell the other three women were trying not to laugh. Harley was oddly quiet. Helena knew she was purposefully stopping herself from saying something crass about missing television because of dead family members. Helena also felt embarrassed at being explained things like a child. 

“She isn’t anybody,” Dinah answered patiently. “It’s just a joke. If someone says something that could be an innuendo, someone says ‘That’s what she said!’ It’s just a joke.”

Helena kind of understood. She thought she needed a little bit more context though. Plus, there were a million one-liners that the whole group usually laughed at that she didn’t understand. 

“I feel like I should understand,” Helena said quietly.

Cass gasped. “Guys! I got it! Binge-a-thon!” She jumped up off the floor and ran to the kitchen. 

“Cass—“ Dinah tried. 

“You guys got Netflix?” Cass asked. “Hulu? Amazon?” She was opening cabinets left and right, slamming them shut loudly. 

“What are you doing?” Renee asked the kid. 

“Looking for popcorn!”

Dinah rolled her eyes. 

“Kid,” Harley said, getting off the couch. “We gotta do this right. We gotta make a list of the best, most necessary to see shows!”

Renee got off the couch, too. “Hang on!

We gotta organize by length of seasons, too. And what’s already over and what’s still playing!” 

Dinah looked at Helena. 

Helena figured she did it to herself. She did ask. She did want to know what the fuss was about. 

“Should be fun,” Helena said. 

“Tell me that when they won’t leave at three in the morning.”

Helena chuckled. She picked up her beer. 

Dinah gave her a smile, then leaned in for a kiss, but the other three women returned.

“Alright, we got it,” Cass announced, “Pull up Netflix!” 

For the next four and a half hours, the group sits around watching Parks and Recreation. Helena got it. Kind of. It was kind of boring. The women keep saying the second season gets better, and Helena hoped so. 

But Helena couldn’t look away. She sat on the floor, because Harley and Cass finally fell asleep on either side of the couch, Renee was on the loveseat chair, and Dinah was curled up laying on her lap. Helena was not tired. She couldn’t stop watching. 

Netflix continuously asked if she was still watching, which was annoying. Of course she was watching. All she would do now is watch television. 

Sleep finally overcame. Around four in the morning, her head was too heavy to stay awake any longer. She turned off the television and ran a hand through Dinah’s hair. 

“Hey,” she whispered. “Time for bed.”

“Is it over? Did Leslie—“ she abruptly stopped. 

“Did Leslie, what?”

“Nothing,” Dinah said, sitting up. “You’ll see.”

Helena really wanted to know. She contemplated sitting back down on the floor and turning the television back on. 

But Dinah looked exhausted, so Helena stood and pulled her up, too. 

Helena couldn’t stop thinking about television. She woke early the next morning and turned it on again, before the others were even awake. When Cass finally stirred at around ten, before Dinah was up, she saw Helena still watching. 

“Fucking hell, Huntress,” she sighed with a yawn. 

“Language,” Helena warned. 

“Right. You been sitting there all night?”

“You said I needed to watch it.”

“Oh, but I’m not allowed to stay up all night?”

“Aren’t you, like, ten years old?”

“I’m thirteen, asshole.” She stood from the couch and made her way toward the bedrooms. “Which room is Canary in?” she called over her shoulder. 

“Mine,” Helena said. She put Dinah in her room on purpose, because she knew if Dinah was still asleep when the others woke, they’d need a bathroom. And there was no way anyone was going in hers. 

Cass disappeared into Dinah’s bedroom. Helena just kept watching television. 

For the following weeks, Helena rotted her brain with television, like any good American. She liked some and hated some, but she was determined to get through them. If not for anything but to understand the jokes. 

Finally, about a month later, it all paid off. 

They sat at the taco shop having a late night dinner. Helena was busy scarfing down her second taco and only kind of listening to conversation, but it was enough. 

“How’s that enchilada, Canary?” Renee asked. 

“It’s good. Kinda burned my tongue at first, but now that it’s cooled it’s got a good flavor.”

Without missing a beat, Helena said, “That’s what she said.”

She suddenly felt everyone’s eyes on her. She glanced up, around the group, and they were all looking at her with wide eyes. 

“Did I do it right?” she asked. 

Cass and Harley were the first to burst into laughter. Renee reached across the table and fist-bumped her. Dinah put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in tight. Helena smiled when Dinah kissed her cheek. 

It took a lot of sore eyes and sleepless nights, but Helena finally felt like she fit in a little more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Television shows referenced in order:
> 
> Friends, Community, Entourage, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, Brooklyn 99, and The Office. 
> 
> Has anyone else just been watching reruns of tv for the past few months? I know I have.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	22. Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “8:01, pants off!”
> 
> Thank you for reading!

It was their anniversary.

It was the first event of their lives that neither of them wanted to drown with heavy drinking and revenge. It was a good occasion, filled with happiness and love. A year to be with someone was a long time. An entire year was enough to celebrate. 

Neither of them were much about celebrating. They liked to have a drink after a fight, maybe a good dinner after saving the day, but neither of them were good at receiving birthday or Christmas gifts. Their anniversary was just another day.

Dinah wanted to do something different, though. Something special. She was always the one planning surprises, even though Helena usually figured out what the surprises were, after her first birthday that they were together and Dinah surprised her with a cake. Dinah knew Helena was always trying to stay one step ahead of Dinah. 

Helena always had spontaneous surprises for Dinah. She was always buying Dinah a gift she thought the Canary would like, or bringing home flowers, or doing something unexpected and sweet. Helena was usually oblivious to how romantic that really was, and how Dinah swooned a little bit at being with someone so thoughtful. 

Even though they didn’t really celebrate anything in a big way, Dinah still wanted to do something nice. Something special, different. She wanted to do something that involved just the two of them. 

Dinah was also pretty one-track minded. The one thing she thought of that was just for them was sex. Plus, they just got Dinah’s car back from the shop, good as new, and she hadn’t cashed in her day of orgasms that Helena owed her. 

They talked over their plans one morning before they got out of bed. Dinah was on her back, holding Helena close. Dinah ran her fingertips over Helena’s shoulder, creating fingerprint swirls over Helena’s skin. 

Dinah almost didn’t want to disturb the peace,but she wanted to ask Helena about a plan. “So...you know what next Friday is?”

“Our anniversary.”

“No, it’s our—wait, yeah, it is. You remembered?”

“Of course I did,” Helena said, sounding surprised that Dinah would even think she wouldn’t remember it. 

“Oh,” Dinah sighed, and swooned a little. Helena. Always accidentally romantic. “So, I was just wondering if you wanted to do anything.”

“Anything like what?” Helena asked, not lifting her head from Dinah’s chest. 

Dinah shrugged. “I don’t know. Nothing huge. Just me and you. Alone.”

“We do stuff alone all the time. We’re alone right now.”

“I know, but...” Dinah grew nervous for some reason. They’d been together for a year and she was nervous about asking to have a date night at their own home alone. 

Helena looked up at her. “But?”

“But, you know...we just got the car back. Which reminds me that I never did cash in free orgasms for a day.”

Helena was still looking at her. “So for our anniversary...you want...sex.”

“I...I mean we can...go out or...”

“No, no,” Helena stopped her. “I...that sounds nice.”

“Nice?” Dinah asked. “Just nice?”

“Well,” Helena said, laying her head back down. “It’s not the worst way to spend an anniversary.”

Dinah knew she was joking, so she chuckled. “Sure. I don’t mind, either.”

She felt Helena smile against her chest. “Do you want to, like, have a date first? Dinner? Or just jump right into it?”

Dinah hadn’t thought of that, but she knew already that she didn’t want to waste time. “Jump right in.”

“Great,” Helena said. “I’ll clear my jam-packed schedule.”

Dinah knew she was joking again. “Yeah, thanks. Hope it’s not too much trouble.”

“For you?” Helena kissed Dinah’s skin under her head. “No trouble at all.”

Dinah ran a hand through Helena’s hair and felt extremely content. 

* * *

On the Wednesday before their anniversary, the Birds were sitting at the bar of Dinah’s club while Dinah scrubbed and dried glasses. Helena watched her and wasn’t paying attention to Renee talking. 

“Anyway,” Renee said, “What are you guys doing Friday?”

“We’re—“ Helena began.

Dinah looked at her with eyes that stopped her. Dinah knew she was about to say they were going to spend their anniversary having sex. 

“Nothing,” Helena said instead. 

Renee looked at them. “What? What are you doing?”

“It’s our anniversary,” Dinah said. 

“No shit?” Renee asked. “Damn, has it been a year already?”

Dinah nodded. “So, we’re spending the night in.”

Dinah’s boss Annie walked into the bar and joined them right at that second. 

“When?” Annie asked. 

“Friday,” Dinah said. “It’s our anniversary, so...can I get it off?”

Helena frowned. “You hadn’t even asked for it off?”

“I am now!” Dinah replied.

Annie looked torn. “Look, Canary, Syd already asked. She said she can’t come in ‘til 11. I can let you go at 11?” 

Dinah frowned. “Seriously? Syd takes off a day a week!”

Annie shrugged. “I’d do the same for you if you weren’t a workaholic.”

“I’m not a workaholic.”

“Really?” Annie nodded at Helena. “Because your stalker here is close to becoming an alcoholic.”

“Hey...” Helena frowned.

Annie ignored her. “Sorry, Canary. 11, alright?”

Dinah nodded. Annie left, then Dinah went to Helena again. 

“I’m sorry, honey,” Dinah said. 

“It’s alright,” Helena replied. “It’s not like we have big plans.”

“What did you get have planned?” Renee asked. 

“Nothing,” Dinah answered first, giving Helena a warning look. 

“Fucking weirdos,” Renee said. 

Helena still looked a little bit disappointed. Dinah hopped on the bar to reach Helena’s lips. 

Friday finally rolled around and Dinah went to work unhappily. 

“I’ll be back at 11:20,” she said as she was about to leave the apartment. “Pants off by 11:21.”

Helena nodded. She kissed Dinah lightly, trying not to be too much because then she wouldn’t be able to let Dinah go. Then Annie would find a way to fire both of their asses. 

“I’ll be back soon,” Dinah said, then left the apartment. 

* * *

Helena made herself busy. Dinah would only be gone for three hours, but Helena didn’t want to sit around waiting. She cleaned up the apartment, cleaned her bathroom, made a snack, threw laundry in the washing machine, changed the sheets on her bed, and when she finally checked the time it was only 9. 

She knew it was going to be a long two hours waiting, but she knew she could get in four episodes of something before Dinah returned, so she plopped onto the couch and turned on Netflix. 

Helena was antsy, but was able to focus enough on the television that she lost track of time. It wasn’t until the building’s buzzer rang and threw her off that she even looked at her phone. 

It was 11, thank god. But was Dinah early? And why didn’t she just use her key?

Helena went to the buzzer speaker next to the door. “Hello?” she asked the intercom. 

“It’s me!” Harley’s voice rang through the speaker. 

Helena sighed. They told Renee to give them the night off, but they forgot about Harley. Helena didn’t think she’d randomly show up, though. She’d been AWOL for a few weeks. 

“Yes?” Helena asked. 

“Let me in!”

“Why?” Helena asked. 

“I got a tail—“

“So you led them to my apartment?!”

“I think I lost ‘em. Just let me up and I’ll be out quick, I promise!”

“Quick,” Helena said, then pressed the button to open the front door to the apartment. 

Harley was in the house quickly. Helena had her bow out just in case Harley was, in fact, being tailed. 

“Jesus, killer, that how you greet guests?” 

“Are you a guest?”

“You let me up.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Helena said. “I didn’t want the news to get out that some clown was killed in front of my building.”

“Fair,” Harley said with a shrug. “Where’s the Canary?”

“Work. And she’ll be back in less than half an hour, so you’ll have to be gone.”

“Aww!” Harley cried. “I thought we could have a girls night, you know? Movies, cosmos, nail polish, pillow fight in our underwear...”

“No,” Helena said. “Dinah and I have plans.”

“What? What plans? I know for a fact that if you’re not out by 9 PM, you don’t go out at all. You can’t have plans.”

“We do. Here. By ourselves. It’s our anniversary.”

“Dang, a year? Who knew two people with so much baggage could commit for an entire year.”

“Thanks,” Helena muttered. 

Harley ignored her. “Just one drink, then I’ll get outta your hair.”

“Were you even being followed?” Helena asked. 

Harley snorted. “I’m always being followed. Come on. One drink.”

Helena rolled her eyes, then reached into the cabinet next to her head for a glass. In the next cabinet, she retrieved a bottle of expensive whiskey that she liked. She poured Harley a finger a passed the glass over. 

“Hurry,” Helena said, crossing her arms. 

“Now, what kind of guest would I be if I just drank and ran?”

“A good one. Drink.”

Harley chuckled, but took a small sip from her glass. Helena checked her phone. It was 11:14. 

“What plans do you have?” Harley asked. 

“Big plans. Drink.”

Harley took a small sip. 

Helena kept looking at her phone, but a watched pot never boils. Helena turned it over to ignore it. 

“Like I said,” Harley began again, “I can’t believe you two managed a year. You know I’m still certified to do therapy.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s true. All I gotta do is renew my license. I can’t believe they haven’t revoked it.”

“Me neither,” Helena said, grabbing Harley’s glass to sip from it. 

“Hey!” Harley cried. “Now you owe me another. Anyway, I can do couples counseling if you guys need it. You know. ‘Cause both of you are a bit...” Harley swirled a finger over her ear to indicate ‘crazy’. 

Helena poured some more alcohol in the glass. Just a little bit. “I have a therapist,” she said. 

Harley gasped. “You cheating on me, Huntress?”

“I know,” Helena said, taking a drink. 

Harley took the glass from her. “I thought this was my drink.”

“It’s my house.”

“Hey!” Harley shouted suddenly. “Let’s make it a party! Get a pizza, some beer—“

Helena remembered that Dinah was going to be home any second. “No. Dinah will be home any second.”

“And you have secret plans!” Harley said. “C’mon, tell me!” 

“No, it’s nothing. It’s between Dinah and I.”

“And what’s between you is with me! Tell me!”

“No—“

Finally, there was a key turning in the lock. Dinah was home. 

She didn’t greet Helena or say hello, instead she said, “11:21! Pants off, Killer!” Helena heard her drop her bag. 

“Hey, baby,” Helena called. “Harley—“

Dinah was walking toward the kitchen. “Don’t even mention that clown, you’ll kill my arousal.”

Harley was smiling widely like she was the biggest surprise of all, and because she figured out their plans.

Dinah finally entered the kitchen. She laid eyes on Harley. “Ah, fuck.”

Harley smiled even wider. “Pants off? Fine by me, Canary.”

“Not for you,” Dinah said, going to Helena. She took the glass of whiskey from Helena’s hand and took a drink. 

Harley pointed at the glass. “We’re all already practically kissing anyway.”

Dinah made a face. “Gross. I don’t want to know where your mouth has been.”

“Like where your mouth should be,” Harley joked, glancing at Helena’s crotch. 

Helena made a face and dropped her hands to cover herself. 

Harley slapped her hands on the counter top. “Fine, I’ll get outta here. Consider it an anniversary gift. Or, you know, free therapy sessions. Inevitably.”

Dinah looked offended. “Inevitably—“

Harley ignored her. “I’ll see you guys later. Remember to hydrate! You lose 3.6 calories per minute during sex!”

Helena thought that was good to know. 

Dinah gave a wave. “See you.”

Harley let herself out. When they heard the door shut, Dinah turned to Helena. 

“Mood almost killed. You?”

Helena put her arms around Dinah’s waist. “For you? Never.”

Dinah hugged Helena and smiled. “Happy anniversary.”

Helena kissed Dinah. “Happy anniversary.”

Helena put her hands low near Dinah’s thighs and lifted her up. Dinah groaned. 

“Fuck, alright, mood is back. Let’s go.”

Helena grinned. She kissed Dinah again and began to walk them to her bedroom. 

They rest of the night was a very, very good anniversary. 


	23. Concussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You’re beautiful.” “You’re concussed.”
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Dinah was used to seeing Helena hurt. She was used to seeing her blood and sewing up cuts and kissing split lips. She was used to holding an ice pack to Helena’s black eyes and washing dried blood from her hair. It sucked, but she was used to it.

She was used to seeing Helena hurt with minor injuries. It helped that Helena was never down for long. Helena was the most resilient person she knew, and she always hopped back up after a blow. Helena was strong and tough. 

But Dinah knew, inevitably, there would be a time that Helena would be slower getting up. 

They were at a fight at the docks with a group of goons smuggling drugs into Gotham. It wasn’t a big fight, the drug pushers apparently didn’t believe in guns or else they could’ve shot the three Birds after them. It was just a routine stop, nothing special, a piece of cake. 

Dinah wasn’t far from Helena, but her back was to the Huntress. She was kicking ass and didn’t notice anything else going on, until she heard a loud crack behind her. 

Stunned, Dinah turned, saw Helena on the ground, and was punched square in the jaw. 

Helena didn’t get up. 

Dinah ran on pure fear, taking the guy down in front of her in two hard slams. She needed to check on Helena.

“Montoya!” Dinah yelled as she ran to Helena. 

“Got two more!” Renee yelled back. 

Dinah knew Renee could take them, so she kneeled next to Helena. She checked Helena everywhere for blood but there was nothing more than scratches and a bloody lip. 

“Helena?” Dinah pleaded, practically shaking Helena everywhere. “Helena, wake up. What happened? Come on, baby.” 

Helena sighed and turned her head. “Fuck,” she whispered before opening her eyes. 

“Oh thank god,” Dinah replied. “Honey? Can you open your eyes? Can you move?”

Helena turned her head a little more and groaned.

“What hurts?” Dinah asked. 

“Head. Neck. Whole body.”

Dinah carefully put her hand under Helena’s head, and there was no blood. Thank goodness. Helena was breathing, her eyes were open, and there was no blood. 

“Can you get up?”

Helena slowly sat up with Dinah’s help. She groaned, but she was getting up. She was okay. 

“Montoya!” Dinah yelled. 

Renee came out of nowhere. “They’re out,” she said. “Fuck, what happened?”

“I think she has a concussion,” Dinah said. 

Renee helped Dinah get Helena off the ground. When she was up, Dinah put her arm around Helena’s waist and held her up as she unsteadily wobbled out of the building. 

Luckily, they’d brought Dinah’s car for the mission, so getting Helena home was that much easier. They dropped Renee off at her apartment first, and by then Helena was able to get herself up to their apartment without too much trouble. 

Dinah was so worried. A head injury could be terrible. As she drove, she kept looking at Helena to make sure she didn’t pass out or anything. 

When they got into the apartment, Dinah sat Helena in a chair in the kitchen to clean her up. She had dried blood streaming down one arm and and a cut on her lip.

“Do you want to take a shower?” Dinah asked her as she used peroxide to clean the cuts. 

Helena shook her head, then winced. 

“You sure? You fuckin’ stink.”

Helena snorted. “Yeah, you’re a flower, Canary.”

Dinah laughed. “I don’t know if you’re supposed to fall asleep with a concussion. But you should rest.”

“I can go to sleep if I’m still holding conversation. I’m talking right?”

“You are,” Dinah said. “What day is it?”

“I have no idea what day it is usually.”

“That’s true. You need a job, you bum.”

Helena chuckled. “Ask me something else.”

Dinah hummed. She was mindlessly braiding Helena’s hair now. “Do you love me?”

“A non-stupid question.”

Dinah gasped. “I thought there was no such thing as a stupid question.”

“I guess you found it.”

Dinah smiled. “I guess that’s a weird way of saying you love me.”

“Of course.”

Dinah leaned down and kissed Helena’s forehead. “Let’s lay down. Do you want some medicine?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll get it for you. You go get into pajamas.”

Helena left the room, so Dinah got her a bottle of water and medicine. When she got into the bedroom, Helena was already laying down in her underwear. 

“I thought we agreed on pajamas?” Dinah asked. 

“I didn’t agree to those terms.”

Dinah just shook her head. “Sit up. Take this.”

Helena did as she was told. Dinah went into the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. 

When she returned, Helena was back into her position laying across the bed. Dinah shut off the light, turned on the fairy-lights above their bed, and went to her. 

Helena was sprawled from her side to Dinah’s pillows. 

Dinah stared down at her. “Uh...where am I supposed to go?”

Helena patted the bed directly under her. 

Dinah laughed. She scooted onto the bed, sitting under Helena’s head where Helena lifted a bit. Dinah sat back against the headboard of the bed and let Helena rest on her lap.

“Perfect,” Helena sighed. 

Dinah smiled down at her. She ran fingers through Helena’s hair. “Is that okay?”

Helena nodded. She turned onto her back to look up at Dinah.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Helena asked. 

“You’re concussed.”

Helena smiled. “Doesn’t make it any less true.” 

“You’re beautiful too,” Dinah said. 

“You’re like a dream come true,” Helena said, staring up at Dinah. “I wish my parents could’ve met the person I want to be with forever.”

Dinah’s heart burst and broke at once. Those were wonderful words to say, but terrible in that she wouldn’t ever meet Helena’s family. 

“Would they like me?” Dinah asked, hoping it wasn’t overstepping. 

“They would’ve loved you. You’re kind, you’re smart, you kick ass. They would’ve been impressed.”

“Would I have been enough to be a First Lady of Gotham crime lords?” 

Helena laughed. “You’re assuming I would’ve taken over. My brother probably would have.”

“But you’re older. Isn’t it like the British monarchy?”

Helena was smiling. “No. I don’t know. I wouldn’t have wanted to. I would’ve wanted a quiet life with you.”

“I guess we don’t really get that, do we?”

“I don’t know. I think we have plenty a mundane, quiet life.”

Dinah laughed at that. “We just fought a dozen drug smugglers.”

Helena shrugged. “Still, I think considering, we’ve made it pretty easy on ourselves. We have a favorite grocery store and a favorite cafe. We have a usual at the pizza place down the street and a Netflix account. You know. Things that make us quiet.”

“I guess,” Dinah agreed. 

Helena’s eyes drifted shut. 

Dinah’s hands didn’t stop playing with her hair. “You good?” she asked. 

Helena nodded. “Feels good.”

“It would feel better if it was clean,” Dinah said, soothing sweat-dried tangles. 

“You can do it again tomorrow. When it is clean.”

Dinah knew she would. She knew she’d probably end up washing Helena’s hair for her. 

Dinah liked the thought, though. A nice, mundane day. 

She bent and kissed Helena’s lips. 

“Thanks,” Helena mumbled after. 

“Goodnight,” was all Dinah said, instead of saying that a thanks for kisses was ridiculous. 

Helena nodded slightly, then Dinah knew she was asleep. 

Dinah closed her eyes, but didn’t stop playing with Helena’s hair. She wanted to stay awake for as long as she could to make sure Helena was alright in the night. 

She tried not to dwell on how scary it was to see Helena limp on the ground. She tried to be thankful that it wasn’t something worse. Above all, she tried to remember that they were good. And that Helena said she wanted to be with Dinah forever. 

Dinah smiled and looked down at the creature on her lap. She felt nothing but awe. 


	24. Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: my imagination of Mary Elizabeth Winstead flipping her hair.

“Can you just admit it?” 

Dinah vaguely heard the question. She was busy.

“What?” she asked, distractedly taking a drink from her glass. 

The street in front of her was not busy enough to miss the arrival of the familiar motorcycle, when it would finally show up. Helena was late, and Helena was never late. Helena always arrived at their meeting spot—Dinah’s club—way earlier than anyone else. 

“Admit...you know,” Renee said, playfully nudging Dinah. 

Dinah furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t know, actually.”

Renee chuckled. “Admit that you like Bertinelli and you’re freaking out right now because she’s late!”

Dinah paused. She didn’t—No—There wasn’t—She didn’t—Helena—

“I don’t—I—no—“

“I don’t, I, no,” Renee mocked, “Okay, whatever. Keep it to yourself. Just relax. Someone might get the wrong idea with your panic right now.”

“We’re a team, okay? If you were a good teammate, you’d be worried, too.”

“I know Bertielli is a grown ass woman and is responsible enough to get where we need to be. Alright?”

“Whatever,” Dinah muttered. She wasn’t going to argue, and she wasn’t going to say all the concerns running through her head. She was just being a decent friend, teammate, and roommate. 

What if Helena was in trouble somewhere, needing help? What if Helena got lost? What if Helena split? What if...

The familiar motorcycle finally rolled up in front of where the two women were sitting on the outdoor patio of Dinah’s club. It halted to an abrupt stop and jerked as Helena killed the motor. 

Dinah was relieved, but she didn’t say that. 

Helena sat up on the bike and removed her gloves. 

“See? She’s fine,” Renee said. 

Dinah didn’t say they couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t say there must’ve been a reason why Helena took off early in the morning, didn’t respond to any messages, and finally showed up late. She didn’t say Helena could be mentally-not-fine or that Helena could need help elsewhere or—

Dinah was still staring as Helena, in sudden slow-motion, lifted her helmet off her head, then flipped her sweaty hair out of her face like a bad romance movie. 

Oh, Dinah was fucked. She looked so good. So fucking hot. Dinah’s mouth went dry.

Renee laughed. “Yeah, okay, Canary.”

Helena dismounted the bike and went towards them. 

“Where’ve you been?” Renee asked because Dinah couldn’t muster enough spit in her mouth to make words. “Canary’s been worried sick.”

Helena was looking at Dinah. “I took a ride up north. Hope that’s okay.”

“I...do whatever you want. I don’t care,” Dinah said defensively. 

Helena might have frowned. Dinah noticed her face changed. “Oh. Okay.”

“Ready?” Dinah asked, standing from her seat. 

Helena nodded. Dinah didn’t pay any attention to Renee, knowing she was probably making some face indicating Dinah was being stupid. She was being stupid, but she didn’t need anyone else acknowledging it at the moment. 

Dinah’s car was right in front of Helena’s bike, so Dinah walked over to the driver’s side. “Do you want to ride with us or by yourself?” Dinah asked Helena over her shoulder. 

“I’ll take my bike,” Helena said, sounding dark and sad. 

Dinah felt bad. She didn’t have to be an ass. She didn’t need to say she didn’t care where Helena was. She did care, as a good friend, teammate, and roommate. 

When Dinah and Renee were the car, Renee finally broke into a laugh. 

“Well, that was a disaster,” she told Dinah. 

“Shut up,” Dinah said, pulling out of her space and taking off. 

She knew it was a disaster. But now she had to focus on their mission and worry about it all later. 


	25. Punch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “I’m gonna beat him up.”

Helena loved being around for Dinah’s sets. Since getting a real band to play with her, she had been sounding even more amazing than before. With the band playing different styles of music, she was able to show off her range a lot.

Helena did not like that nearly nobody else cared they Dinah was singing live. Helena sat at the bar every night that she sang, clapping and cheering after every song. Dinah would roll her eyes on stage, but she’d smile at Helena through the crowd of patrons, and nobody ever even knew it was happening. 

But there was one guy who paid attention. A big burly dude, Helena didn’t know why the man continuously went to the bar on nights that Dinah sang if he clearly didn’t like her. Every night, he would talk loudly over her, yell, clap obnoxiously, and he would even make fun of her. 

Helena knew him, of course she did. Anyone who was going to tease her girl was going to get remembered. Every time he walked in, Helena would make a pleading face to Annie, and Annie would just say there was nothing she could do. 

After a few weeks of the man showing up, Helena was tired of it. She didn’t know how Dinah felt, but it irritated her to no end. 

She sat at the bar with Renee when Dinah stepped onto the stage. 

The guy leaned back in his chair. “Oh, here we go,” he said. Then he told his friends, “Check out this bitch.” 

Helena practically growled. 

“Helena...” Renee warned. 

“He’s making fun of her again,” Helena said. “He’s doing worse than making fun of her.”

“I know, but—“

Helena set her glass down. She wasn’t that drunk. Maybe tipsy. 

Still, she said, “I’m going to beat him up.”

“What?!” Renee cried as Helena stood. “Hel—“

Helena was already heading over to him. Dinah was greeting the crowd and thanking them for coming. The guy was yelling that it was not his pleasure. 

Helena got to him. She tapped his shoulder. 

“Fucking what—“ he barely turned around before Helena punched him right in the nose. 

She got one more good punch, he didn’t land his, before Annie was tackling her to the ground. Helena went coolly, because she didn’t want to fight Annie, get in trouble, or get Dinah in trouble, but the guy was up and shouting that he would fucking kill Helena. 

Renee must’ve grabbed him already, because by the time Annie got off Helena he was gone. 

“You’re gone too,” Annie said quietly to Helena. 

“I know,” Helena said. That was fine. She understood. She just didn’t want Dinah to get in trouble. 

Helena couldn’t leave without Dinah, since Dinah drove and Helena didn’t have so much of a house key, so Helena just stood next to Dinah’s car for three hours until the bar closed. 

Then, Dinah stuck her head out the back door. 

“Hey, honey. Annie wants to see you.”

Helena got off the car. She went to the door and followed Dinah. 

Dinah didn’t seem too mad, thankfully. She wondered what Annie was going to say. 

Annie was in her office, so Helena went back. She knocked carefully on the door when Annie didn’t look up as soon as she entered. 

“Hey,” Annie greeted, turning from her computer to Helena. “I just wanted to let you know you’re not banned from here or anything. I just had to get you out, ‘cause, y’know, the audience. I had to set an example.”

Helena nodded in relief. “And Dinah—“

“Canary’s fine, you know that. She’s my best girl. I was glad you finally did something about that guy. I thought it was going to be a while ago.”

“I...” Helena was surprised. People usually don’t want her to punch men. She shrugged. 

Annie chuckled. “That guy’s 86’ed. Good of you to protect your girl. See you tomorrow.” She turned back to her computer.

Helena rushes out. Dinah was waiting by the back door, leaning against the wall and twirling her keys. 

“So?” Dinah asked. 

Helena shrugged. She went through the door. 

Dinah followed. “What?!”

Helena went to the passenger side of the car. 

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” Helena said. 

Dinah just shook her head as she got in the car. “For what it’s worth,” Dinah said, “Knowing you were protecting me was...” She let out an almost-groan. She bit her lip. 

Helena looked at her. “Yeah?”

Dinah grinned, then leaned over the center. “Yeah...” she sighed, then kissed Helena soundly on the lips. 

Helena kissed back, surprised. She was glad Dinah wasn’t mad. She didn’t want to do anything to make Dinah mad. 

Dinah sat back in her seat. Helena was smiling proudly. 

She was hardly rewarded for kicking any ass, but she was glad she did it. 


	26. Tag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You shot me!”
> 
> I don’t know why we needed a Christmas fic in the middle of June. Also, I was thinking a lot about how Helena was instantly really protective of Cass in the movie. She shielded her eyes and gave her the little car to focus on. Anyway, I like to think Helena was protective of her brother like that, too. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Helena had not received Christmas gifts since she was a kid—not real gifts, anyway—so when Christmas rolled around, she didn’t quite know what to do with the silly gifts the Birds exchanged.

They had Cass over, and if Helena had gotten used to anything it was how to spend money, so she gifted the kid with clothes, shoes, and electronic devices that any kid at school would be jealous of. 

She got Dinah jewelry and a new part for the car, because when she asked what Dinah wanted, she said the new part for the car. Which, of course, Helena was happy to help with anyway and didn’t want to consider it a gift, but Dinah insisted. 

For Renee, Helena picked out a cool leather jacket and expensive sunglasses, since the ones Renee wore were a cheap knockoff of

a cooler brand. 

Helena even got Harley a few little things, like a new charm for the choker she always wore and neon pink high-heel boots. 

Helena was able to give great gifts. She was good at spending money. But receiving...

It didn’t help that apparently everyone wanted to fuck with her. Helena thought she got practical gifts. Cass needed new clothes, Dinah needed that part for her car, and everyone could use a new coat. But knowing the other Birds didn’t have a ton of cash and Helena was still a pretty big mystery to each of them, Helena found herself opening gifts that were clearly about a laugh.

Cass, who had borrowed money from Helena three weeks before Christmas, gave Helena a mug that said, “World’s Best Boss”. Having finished The Office, Helena understood the joke. 

Dinah gave Helena a book about wine tasting through Italy. Helena got that it was supposed to be a joke. 

Renee gave Helena a set of toy guns that seemed to light up. Helena didn’t get that gift. 

For weeks, Helena’s three gifts sat under the Christmas tree, until the day came that Dinah decided the decoration needed to come down. 

“What do you want to do with the gifts you didn’t even like?” Dinah asked, pulling them from under the tree. 

“I did like them,” Helena insisted. “I’m just...not used to getting gifts.” Especially not silly gifts. 

“Mmm,” Dinah sighed. She set the book on the coffee table, since it was a coffee table book, then took the other two items to the kitchen with her. 

Helena busied herself with removing decorations from the tree. She heard Dinah set the coffee mug in the sink, then she heard Dinah opening and closing cabinets. She didn’t think anything of it, she just took down decorations. 

“So,” Dinah said from the kitchen. “You didn’t get gifts at the convent?”

“It wasn’t a convent,” Helena called back. “But no. Not really. I guess three assassins didn’t really know how to shop for a teenage girl. I got my first bow when I was fifteen, and as my weapons progressed, those were my only real gifts.”

“Y’all are Catholic though, right? So you had Christmas.” 

“Yeah. I went to mass and everything for Christmas. Not, like, Santa though.”

Dinah hummed from the kitchen. 

Helena continued, “When I was little, we’d have big, lavish Christmas parties after mass. The whole family, good friends, just...so many people at the house. We’d get to open presents, and I thought Santa really did come because every person in attendance had a personal gift. I realized later that my father was really good at gift-giving. And generous.”

“So, that’s where you get it from.”

Helena chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. I remember one year, I had a little cousin who wanted the doll I’d received. She cried and cried, it was a total mood killer for the entire party.”

“What did you do?” Dinah asked. 

“I gave it to her. My aunt insisted that I didn’t need to do that, but I wanted to. I told her to consider it a gift from me.”

“You softy,” Dinah commented. 

Helena shrugged. 

Dinah added, “You have a soft spot for kids. Even when you were one, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess. My mother said I was motherly;I was always taking care of my brother and my father, too. I was, like, ten, so it wasn’t like she was telling me to have children. She said it was just a description of kind people.”

Helena trailed off to think for a minute about that. She thought about making her father’s coffee and picking out his ties when he asked for her opinion. She thought about tying Pino’s shoes and combing his hair. She thought about clasping her mother’s necklaces and painting her fingernails. She was always so helpful, but then the day came when she had nobody to help but herself. How cold she turned. How different it quickly became—

Before she could dwell too much, Dinah returned from the kitchen. 

“Hey, hold this,” Dinah said, handing her one of the toy guns. 

Dinah had one in her hand too, her finger on the trigger, and as soon as Helena took it, Dinah fired at her. The lights on the plastic gun lit up and the gun dinged like a game. 

“You fucking shot me,” Helena muttered, shocked. 

“It’s laser tag! That’s the point!”

“You...” Helena faked a frowned. She had a plan. “I was having a moment, and you shot me.”

Dinah was almost smiling. “Oh baby, I’m sorry. I was just trying to have fun. Come here.” Dinah fell for the trap, stepping up to her and wrapping an arm around her. 

Dinah’s gun was still between them, and Helena was pretending to be sad, so she pulled her trigger, which made her gun light up and ding like she got a point. 

Dinah laughed and pushed Helena back. Helena smiled widely. 

“Oh, you fucker,” Dinah said, holding her gun up. 

Helena jumped out of the way, over the box of ornaments she was filling. Dinah took random shots at her as she dove through the living room, dodging all the dings but hitting Dinah with almost every shot. 

For over two hours, they ran around the living room and kitchen, shooting at each other and using the furniture as cover. At one point, Helena avoided getting shot but opening the refrigerator door between herself and Dinah. 

Finally, they fell onto the couch with a fit of laughter because the shitty batteries Dinah found were already dying. 

“How many did you get?” Helena asked. 

“Why does it have to be a competition?” Dinah asked. “Why can’t we just have fun, laugh a little, enjoy each other—“

Helena grabbed Dinah’s gun to read the little screen that said how many times she got Helena. 

“Eleven?!” Helena cried. 

“Oh, what did you get, hot shot?” 

“One hundred and sixteen!”

“What?!” Dinah exclaimed, grabbing Helena’s gun. “Okay! Well! That’s literally your job! So! I hope you’d be good at it!”

Helena was dying with laughter. 

Dinah shoved her. “Okay, whatever!”

Helena wrapped an arm around Dinah. “I’m glad you can kick so high because you’d be a terrible teammate with any weapons.”

Dinah shoved her again, but she was laughing. “You’re such an asshole.”

Helena latched onto her, hugging her tight. 

“Let’s do a karaoke game next, okay? See how that goes!”

Helena kissed her cheek. “I’d let you win.”

Dinah lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?! You’re on.”

Helena just smiled. She felt light and drunk from laughter and a joyful afternoon with Dinah. Plus, her competitive nature was having a good time. 

She leaned over and kissed Dinah on the lips. “Thank you,” she said, still laughing but trying to say it seriously.

Dinah kissed her again. “Of course.”

Helena tossed the guns on the coffee table. She wanted to kiss Dinah a little more, maybe cuddle up on the couch. 

“I let you win,” Dinah said. 

Helena laughed again. “Sure, Canary.”


	27. Thrift Shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “‘Dogs leave paw-sized prints in our hearts.’ Don’t buy that.”

Dinah loved thrift stores and flea markets. Growing up on her own for much of her life, she was always trying to buy as cheap as she could. Until she was hired by Roman Sionis, she was always looking for deals and dressing in resold clothes. It was a fine, because she didn’t care that what she wore was secondhand or that her furniture was used. She liked looking for the most unique styles she could.

Even now, with enough money to get by, Dinah still liked to spend Saturday’s out looking for deals. It was a fun tradition for her, to spend one Saturday a month at people’s yard sales or the flea market. She thought it was plenty of fun. 

Helena didn’t understand secondhand things. Well, she didn’t understand why anybody with the means to buy new would need to buy secondhand. Dinah explained that she didn’t need to go to flea markets, that she just liked it, but Helena still didn’t get it. 

It wasn’t like Helena always blew money, either. She was practical with her money. But when she needed something, she bought it. If she ruined the tread on some shoes, she ordered the exact same ones. If she ripped a pair of pants, she ordered some more. She only really blew money on anything Dinah mentioned. 

Nonetheless, a Saturday rolled around and Helena agreed to accompany Dinah to the nearest flea market. Dinah didn’t have anything in particular in mind to look for, she just wanted to look. 

Helena didn’t see the point. 

“The sun is shining,” Dinah insisted, “Its a beautiful day. It’s something to do.”

“I can think of plenty of things to do.”

“Like what? What do you want to do?”

Helena’s mind suddenly went blank. 

Dinah smiled. “If you absolutely hate it, we can leave.”

Dinah parked the car in a lot next to where the flea market was set up. There were tents everywhere and people all over the place. Helena looked uncomfortable already. 

Dinah sighed. “Do you hate poor people or something?”

Helena made a face. “What?”

Dinah waved toward people getting out of their cars around them. “Do you judge people for being poor and shopping at flea markets or something?”

“Of course not,” Helena insisted, sounding offended. “That’s ridiculous.”

Dinah looked out the window. “I just didn’t have a lot growing up. I didn’t before my mom died, and I certainly didn’t after. I had to work hard for everything I had, which wasn’t much. But I spent a lot of time shopping at flea markets and thrift shops to get what I needed. Clothes, shoes, whatever. This stuff...it’s fun. I just wanted to have some fun.”

“I’m sorry,” Helena said. “It’s not that I think people are poor. I’ve just never done this before and it seems weird to me. Why would you want someone’s old stuff?”

“Haven’t you ever heard that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure?” Dinah smiled at her. “You never know what you’re going to find.”

Helena nodded. She looked out her window at a family of five exiting their car nearby. They looked happy and excited to have a day out. 

“I feel bad,” Helena said. “Sometimes. For...being born into money? I guess? It’s not like I have a choice. It’s dumb.”

Dinah felt so much love for her. Dinah reached over and grabbed her hand. 

“Well, let’s do something about your rich, white guilt and drop a bunch of cash here.”

Helena cracked a smile. 

“And,” Dinah continued, “If you feel incredible uncomfortable, we can go.”

Helena looked out the window again. “There’s just...so many people.”

Dinah knew Helena wasn’t used to that. Even before her life changed drastically, Helena was a pretty secluded kid. Everything she needed was at her family home, and the only place she went besides their vacation homes was a secure school. Dinah felt bad because she didn’t even think about the crowds.

“Hey,” Dinah said; Helena looked at her again. “I’m here, ‘Kay? Let’s just have fun.”

Helena nodded. She reached for the car door handle.

Dinah was excited to be out and about. She loved a day in the sun, and since her work hours were so weird, she wasn’t always able to spend a day out. She slathered Helena with sunscreen before they left the house, her hair was up so she could get some sun, and she was excited. 

Helena didn’t let go of her hand as they made their way through the people. Dinah actually thought it didn’t seem too busy, but for Helena, she knew it was madness. Dinah did her best to keep Helena away from the most crowded areas. 

They passed a tent of some kids selling lemonade. Dinah tugged on Helena’s hand. “Honey, let’s get some.”

The little girls smiled up at Dinah and Helena. “We’re raising money to get an aquarium!” they said in unison. 

Dinah reached for her wallet. “Well, if it’s for a good cause—“ 

Helena held out a hand and got her wallet out. “My treat,” she said. “How much for two cups?”

“Two dollars,” the older of the little girls answered.

“Really?” Helena asked. She opened her wallet and pulled out a five dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

The little girls looked thrilled. “Three extra dollars to our aquarium!” the younger sister exclaimed. 

Dinah watched Helena out of the corner of her eye, knowing full well what she was going to do next. Helena had such a soft spot for kids. 

Sure enough, as the little girls readied their lemonade in cute paper cups, Helena pulled out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to the older girl. Her eyes grew wide.

The girls’ father stepped up from where he was handling the money behind the girls. “No, ma’am, this isn’t necessary.”

“I insist,” Helena said coolly. She sipped the lemonade. “This is incredible lemonade.”

“I made it!” the smaller sister told her. 

Helena smiled at her. 

The father tried to push the money back to Helena. “We can’t accept this,” he said.

Helena shook her head. “Please. It’s a gift. Is it enough for their aquarium? Because I have m—“

Dinah patted Helena’s shoulder. “It’s probably good, baby.”

The father chuckled. “It’s very good. But I...are you sure? We can’t—“

Helena stopped him. “Again, I insist. Uh...have a good day.”

The father looked at Dinah, and Dinah just smiled at him. “Thank you for the delicious lemonade,” she said to the girls, then grabbed Helena’s hand and ushered her away from the booth. 

Helena reached for her phone. 

“Do not check fish aquarium prices on PetSmart,” Dinah stopped her. 

Helena slipped her phone back into her pocket. “I wasn’t going to.”

Dinah kissed Helena’s cheek. “Let’s see what crap we can find today.”

Dinah found quickly that Helena did not heckle well. Most people she saw at a flea market, and even herself, always argued for a lower price. Someone else’s old stuff just wasn’t worth a lot sometimes. But Helena had no qualms about paying asking price. 

Which is why she spent fifty dollars on a mirror, thirty dollars on a drink glass set, forty dollars on lawn chairs—for some reason—and random money everywhere on books. 

“You haven’t picked anything,” Helena observed.

Dinah shrugged. “I haven’t really seen anything I love.”

“You liked that coffee table.”

“We have a coffee table.”

They stopped at the next booth. These people had a lot of home nicknacks, like decor signs and throw pillows. Helena picked up a little wooden sign with black letters etched into it. 

“Don’t buy that.”

“Why not? It’s cute, isn’t it? You say things are cute all the time.”

“Well, it says ‘Dogs leave paw-size prints in our heart.’”

“And?”

“For one, we don’t have a dog.”

Helena paused in her looking through the other decor signs scattered on the table. 

Dinah chuckled. “You don’t have to keep spending money for no reason.”

“It’s not for no reason,” Helena said. “What if these people need money?”

Dinah looked over Helena’s shoulder at a neon pink poster sticking to the pole of the tent. She read, “‘Selling ex-wife’s shit. Best price.’ It doesn’t sound like he’s hurting.”

Helena looked at the poster. “Well—“

Dinah took the dog sign and put it back on the table. “At least don’t get the dog sign. There isn’t a dog at our home.”

Helena nodded. She picked up another sign and read it, “‘A perfect marriage is about two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other.’”

Dinah took that sign from her. “There also aren’t any married people at our home, either.”

“It doesn’t sound like the sign did any good, either.”

Dinah laughed. “Come on,” she tugged at Helena’s arm. “I see a booth over there with some more lawn furniture to complete our set.”

“Yeah, I guess we didn’t need those,” Helena agreed. “But that lady sounded so sad about her cat.”

“Still didn’t mean we needed lawn chairs,” Dinah said.

Helena nodded in agreement. 

They made their way through the final booths with a nice book shelf, a set of throwing knives—which was incredible random and actually useful—and a really cool, vintage leather jacket that Helena told Dinah she could borrow as she held it close to her chest like she was never letting it go. 

Finally, they made their way back to the car and loaded all of their stuff. Surprisingly, it fit.

“Well,” Dinah said as she climbed into the driver’s seat. “Did you have fun?”

Helena looked back at all of her finds. “Does it look like I had fun?” 

Dinah laughed. She leaned over and kissed Helena sweetly.

“What was that for?” Helena asked. 

“Do I need a reason?”

Helena shook her head. 

Dinah kissed her once more, then sat back against her seat. 

“Thanks for coming,” Dinah said as she pulled out of their spot. 

“I wouldn’t mind coming back,” Helena said. “Or going to one of those stores you like.”

Dinah nodded. “Noted,” she said, and mentally made a plan to take Helena to the best thrift shop she knows, that way Helena could accumulate more junk for their house. 

Still, Dinah liked that Helena found a way to enjoy herself.


	28. Blackout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A blackout plus spin the bottle. 
> 
> Warning: Smut
> 
> This chapter seems so long. Hope you enjoy anyway!

The power had gone out five hours ago.

It was a hot night in Gotham, and the whole city was experiencing a blackout. Dinah briefly wondered if it was fucking Harley blowing up another chemical plant, but she realized that calling her would mean opening up an invitation to talking to the clown, so she chose to let it go. 

Luckily, Helena had become a weird collector of nice candles (for relaxing baths), so the living room was pretty well lit. Lit enough. They had dinner prepared when the power went, so they were able to eat, and they had many bottles of really great wine. 

It wasn’t long before both of them had a pleasant buzz going. It was nice to have a candlelit dinner together. It was nice to talk with no distractions. It was nice to laugh and learn new things about each other. 

That ended hours ago. 

Now, they were sitting on the couch in the dark. 

“I’m so hot,” Helena muttered suddenly, after about twenty minutes of silence. 

“Yeah you are,” Dinah answered, “Oh. Like, hot-hot.”

Helena chuckled. “You’re drunk already.”

“Already? We’ve polished off two bottles. Actually, we should hydrate. I’ll grab some waters.” 

Dinah got off the couch, then stumbled into the kitchen. She wasn’t too drunk, but it was very dark. Somehow she made it to the refrigerator, which was still pretty cool, grabbed two bottles of water, and made her way back to the couch. 

When she returned, she saw Helena’s practically glowing skin against the candlelight. She had removed her shirt. 

“So it’s that kind of party now?” Dinah joked. 

“What?” Helena asked, taking a bottle of water. 

Dinah nodded at Helena. “Just taking your clothes off.”

“I told you I’m hot.”

Dinah wiggled her eyebrows. “Sure are.”

Helena rolled her eyes as she downed half the bottle of water in one drink.

Dinah flopped back into the couch with her. “Let’s do something.”

“Like...drink something other than wine?” Helena asked, pouring the last of the second bottle of wine into her glass. 

“Go see what we have,” Dinah told her. 

Helena was up quickly. She took both of their wine glasses and her phone so she could shine a light in the kitchen. 

Dinah relaxed on the couch. She slumped far down, comfortably, and shut her eyes. 

She didn’t know how much time passed, but she definitely dozed off before Helena returned. Dinah jolted awake when Helena dropped back onto the couch. 

“What’d’ya find?” Dinah slurred, sitting up. 

“What else?” Helena asked, pouring two glasses of expensive whiskey, her favorite. 

“Nice,” Dinah said, taking the offered glass. She made a mental note to get them some more water. 

Dinah felt slightly more awake after she took a drink. “Fuck, that’s good,” she said. 

“Are you going to say that every time you drink it for the rest of our lives?”

“Very likely,” Dinah said. She took another drink of water after because she was getting hot, too. “Can you open a window?”

“Are you sure? You remember what happened last time.”

Dinah chuckled, remembering Helena diving around the living room after a bird last time they opened the window. 

“The birds are probably sleeping,” Dinah said. 

Helena went to the window. “You’re catching it’s next time. I thought you had a thing with birds.”

Dinah chuckled. “I don’t control them or anything. Batman doesn’t control bats.”

“He doesn’t?” Helena asked. “Oh, yeah, it’s Robin’s, right?”

Dinah giggled. “Yeah, it’s the Robin’s. Hey, let’s do something fun.”

Helena grunted as she pushed a window open. “Like what?”

“Let’s play a game.”

“A game?” Helena grunted again when she opened the second window. “What game? Do we have games?”

“I think you bought Monopoly at the last flea market.”

“Didn’t we discover that it’s missing, like, half the cards?”

“Oh yeah,” Dinah said. “Why don’t we play...” Dinah noticed the two empty wine bottles on the table. She grew a great idea. “Why don’t we play Spin the Bottle?” 

Helena returned to the couch. “Because we’re not thirteen?”

“Someone’s cheery tonight,” Dinah sarcastically replied. 

Helena laughed. “I am plenty cheery. Besides, aren’t we supposed to play with more people?”

“How do you even know?”

“I’ve seen teen movies.”

“Mm,” Dinah sighed. She grabbed a bottle from the table. “Well, I have an idea. We spin, and if it lands on you, you take off a piece of clothing.”

Helena hummed.

“Strip Spin the Bottle,” Dinah said.

“Wait,” Helena said, “Is that what it means when you put a ‘strip’ in front of it?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Harley asks to play strip-poker all the time.”

“Oh my god, do not play strip-poker with Harley.”

“Well now I know.”

Dinah shook her head. “Anyway. You in?”

Helena looked down at herself, in her sports bra, workout sweat pants, and socks. Dinah was in a tank top, an oversized t-shirt, tights, and shorts, because they had been down in their building’s gym before the power went out. 

“You’re already at an advantage,” Helena said. 

“And I’m a terrible shot, let’s do this.”

Dinah took Helena’s hand and pulled her to the floor. 

They sat across from each other with enough space for the bottle. Then, they set their glasses of whiskey to make a square of themselves and the glasses. They made a rule that if the spun bottle landed on the glasses, they drank. 

Helena went first, and the bottle landed centered on Dinah. 

“See? Good shot,” Dinah said. 

Dinah already had her socks off, so her first article of clothing off was her oversized t-shirt. She was hot anyway, so she was glad to do so. 

For Dinah’s first spin, Helena had to drink. 

It wasn’t for a few spins that the bottle landed on Helena. And to tease Dinah, she slowly peeled off a sock. 

“Mmm, sexy,” Dinah said, laughing. 

In no time, Dinah got down to her underwear and tank top. Helena was still in her sweatpants and bra; her socks were gone but Dinah was not good at the game. 

Dinah was also getting progressively more drunk. She was very giggly, and Helena loved seeing her so loose and free when they were having a good, fun night. 

“Can we still spin for kisses?” Dinah asked, trying to flirt. 

“You don’t have to win my kisses.”

Dinah leaned forward to kiss Helena. She missed at first, kissing Helena’s chin. She hit the second chance, kissing Helena’s laugh. Dinah laughed too, a fit of giggles that put her off her balance and sent her back to her seat. 

On Helena’s next spin, Dinah had to remove her tank top. 

“You’re just trying to see me naked,” Dinah said, reaching for the hem of the shirt and lifting it over her body. 

“Isn’t that the point?” Helena asked. 

Dinah tossed her shirt in Helena’s face. “That’s true,” she said, spinning the bottle herself. 

It landed on Helena. “Pants off, Bertinelli!”

Helena laughed. She stood up, wobbly, then stepped in the little circle to stand over Dinah. She made a show of pulling her sweatpants off, which made Dinah laugh more than turned on, especially when Helena nearly tripped and needed to be secured by Dinah’s hands on her thighs. 

“Real sexy,” Dinah said, “Balance like a cat.”

“Hey, when it counts.”

Helena tossed her pants to where the rest of their clothes lay discarded, then took her seat once again. 

They were both in their underwear, both covered with a layer of sweat from the heat and alcohol. They were still laughing, leaning over for a kiss every time the bottle didn’t land on each other or a glass. 

Dinah wasn’t sure they’d ever laughed so much. 

Finally, Helena landed the bottle on Dinah, who was down to underwear and her bra. 

“Which one?” Dinah asked. 

Helena licked her lips. Dinah was playing with the edge of her panties and Helena couldn’t look away. 

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Dinah said, then reached behind herself to unclasp her bra. 

Helena just watched, mesmerized, as the undergarment was tossed to the side with the rest of their discarded clothes. 

Dinah had a gorgeous grin on her face. She reached for the bottle. 

“I can still win,” Dinah said. 

“Wait, win?”

“Yeah, this is a game isn’t it? There has to be a winner.”

“Mhm, and what does the winner win, exactly?”

Dinah shrugged. “A full view of the other naked in the living room?”

Helena shook her head. “I want a real prize.”

“Why? I’m going to win.”

Helena motioned to her own body. “You’ve been on the last two garments for a while. Look how much ground I had to cover. Who wears multiple layers to the gym anyway?”

“I do!” Dinah said, laughing. “Fine. What does the winner get?”

Helena shrugged. “Dinner for a week?”

“Weak,” Dinah said. “I want you to wash my car. Wax, detail, the inside, everything.”

Helena laughed. “Seriously?”

Dinah nodded. “What do you want?”

Helena shrugged again. “I guess it’s fair if you wash the bike.”

“Fine,” Dinah said. “Loser washes the winner’s vehicle. In a bikini.”

Helena laughed. “What kind of weird kink are you having right now?”

“Watching you wash my car will be really sexy, that’s all I’m saying.”

“You’re assuming I’ll be washing your car.”

Dinah smiled. “You’re right, I guess.”

Helena motioned for Dinah to take her spin. She watched Dinah, with heavy lidded eyes from the alcohol, the hour of night, and the view. Dinah would have thought Helena was giving her a sexy look if she didn’t know how much alcohol Helena had coursing through her. 

The bottle landed on Helena’s glass. She took a drink. 

Dinah leaned back on her hands as Helena spun the bottle. Helena almost couldn’t even look away, uncaring of where the bottle landed. Dinah chuckled. 

“Drink again, baby.”

Helena took another drink. She wobbled a little, leaning over, and Dinah just laughed.

For a few more spins, all they needed to do was drink, until finally, Helena’s spin landed on Dinah once again. 

Helena looked on as Dinah stood and stepped to be right in front of her. 

“I guess you win,” Dinah said. “But I think I’m about to win.” She stepped close to Helena, feet on either side of Helena’s criss-crossed thighs. 

Helena grabbed Dinah’s thighs, trailed shaky fingers up to her panties, and hooked fingertips to the elastic. 

Dinah’s hands made their way to Helena’s hair as Helena pressed a kiss to just below Dinah’s bellybutton. Dinah felt dizzy as she shut her eyes and leaned her head back, letting Helena kiss lower and lower as she slipped her underwear down far enough to wiggle her tongue between Dinah’s folds. 

“Ah, fuck,” Dinah sighed, relaxing into Helena’s touch. She bit her lip and focused on feeling everything as Helena’s tongue expertly swirled over her clit and one of Helena’s hands inched it’s way up to her chest. 

Dinah was a mess of broken groans and sighs. When she looked down at Helena and saw black hair shaggy in her hands, her face lit by candlelight, it was an odd kind of romantic. Helena’s thick eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks and Dinah could tell Helena was really trying to focus. 

“So good,” Dinah sighed, combing her fingers through the hair falling over Helena’s forehead to push it back. “So fucking good, baby...”

Helena moaned back, as Dinah went breathless to the pressure of her tongue. Dinah began to move her hips, fucking Helena’s face. Helena’s hands went to her ass, pulling her in and silently asking Dinah to use her harder. To fuck her until Dinah got what she wanted. 

So, Dinah did. She gently thrust her hips against Helena’s face until she was burning up, prickling all over, until she felt her orgasm in her curled toes all the way up to the sensitive follicles of her hair. 

Dinah practically screamed as she gushed around Helena’s tongue, riding it out until the waves dissipated and her body relaxed again. 

Helena let her go and fell back on her hands. “This game is fun,” she said, her face glistening around a smirk that said she both won and fucked Dinah within an inch of her life. 

Dinah wobbled as she got her underwear off, then fell onto Helena’s lap. Helena was still leaning back, so Dinah put her arms around Helena’s neck, letting Helena hold her weight. 

Dinah swirled her hips on Helena. 

“Tired?” Dinah asked. 

“Of course not,” Helena said, lifting a bottle of water to her lips. She took a long drink, then handed the bottle to Dinah to finish it off. 

Helena kissed her neck as Dinah tilted her head back to drink the water. Dinah laughed, because it tickled more than anything. 

“Stop,” Dinah mumbled. 

She lifted the bottle again. Again, Helena kissed her neck. 

Dinah squirmed. “Stop!”

Helena grinned, then kissed Dinah’s collarbone and chest. When Dinah was almost done with her long drink, Helena sank her teeth around Dinah’s collarbone. 

Dinah let out a laugh and almost choked. As Helena kept shifting and playfully biting her, Dinah managed to swallow and swat at Helena’s arm. 

“You almost made me choke!”

“I could’ve given you mouth to mouth.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. Helena sucked a kiss to Dinah’s neck, hard enough to make Dinah squirm on her lap but not hard enough to leave a mark. Dinah gasped and tugged on Helena’s hair. 

For minutes, they touched sweat-slick and kissed as Dinah sought friction on Helena’s lap. Dinah felt so sensitive, both from the previous orgasm and alcohol. Her buzz made everything feel amplified, and Helena between her thighs and was enough to get her to the edge again. 

“How are you so fucking hot?” Dinah asked, her mouth running away from her with every sensible thought in her head. 

“The AC stopped when the power went out,” Helena muttered against her neck. 

Dinah laughed. “You know what I mean.”

Helena’s hands found Dinah’s hips. She pulled Dinah against her, making Dinah grind harder. 

Dinah knew Helena must’ve felt her, and she really wanted Helena to come too, so she reached down between them and let herself into Helena’s sexy black underwear. 

“Fuck,” Helena hissed when Dinah’s fingers found wetness. “Fuck, Dinah—“

“Yeah?” Dinah whispered, “That good?”

“So fucking good,” Helena sighed.

Helena usually wasn’t extremely noisy, but maybe she was so wound up that she let an accidental moan escape her throat. Dinah worked her fingers to get Helena to moan again, to keep hearing her noises of pleasure with the knowledge that it was all Dinah, only Dinah. 

Helena wasn’t the only one with a pride for her sexual accomplishments. 

Dinah wanted to change the angle, so she gently pushed until Helena was laying flat on her back. She put one leg between Helena’s so she was straddling Helena’s thigh, then thrust herself against Helena. Helena held onto her hips, pulling her close, until Dinah was humping her thigh toward her second orgasm. 

Few minutes were spent in a mess of moans and slick sounding kisses. Dinah couldn’t part from Helena, not even to take a breath, and Helena’s blunt fingernails scratched tracks up and down Dinah’s back. Dinah felt the sweat practically drip from her body, and everything burned, and everything was Helena and hot and wet and fucking and—

Helena let out a stifled cry as she came, and Dinah was two seconds behind her from the thought. Helena’s back arched off the floor and she clenched her thighs, securing Dinah’s hand so she could ride it out. 

“Oh fuck, I love you,” Helena sighed as she calmed enough for Dinah to free her hand. 

Dinah licked her fingers clean. “Baby, I love you.”

Helena took hold of Dinah’s face and pulled her in for another kiss, this one much more gentle and tired. 

As they kissed to come down from their high, Dinah blindly reached for Helena’s phone that was next to her on the coffee table. She tapped the screen to check the time and found a text message from Renee. 

“Renee texted,” Dinah said, handing the phone to Helena. 

“Huh? Oh.” The text opened when Helena’s face was recognized by the screen. “She said the power was back an hour ago.”

Dinah looked up and around them. Sure enough, there was a stream of light under the front door and a gentle buzz from the refrigerator. 

“Huh,” she muttered, laying down on top of Helena, resting her head on Helena’s chest. 

Helena liked the soft, natural lighting most of the time, and when the power went, it was still light enough outside to enjoy it. That was why no lights were suddenly turned on in the living room. 

“Is the AC on?” Helena asked. 

“I assume so,” Dinah answered. She didn’t get off Helena. She was too comfortable. The alcohol was really starting to hit because she was tired, and the room was slowly beginning to spin. 

“So the heat is just you?” Helena asked, then backtracked. “Wait, wait. Is it hot in here, or is it just you?”

Dinah laughed. She lifted her head to look at Helena. “Smooth, killer.”

Helena smiled proudly. 

Dinah laid down again. “Stop taking pick-up lines from Renee and Harley. You think they have any game?”

Dinah could practically hear Helena’s cocky smirk. “I have game,” she said. 

Dinah mocked, “You don’t have game, you’re tall.”

“What?!” Helena cried. “Do you only like me because I’m tall?!”

“It was a definite perk at first,” Dinah answered. “Tall, dark, brooding...” Dinah traced a finger down Helena’s nose and lips. “It’s a wonder you don’t have girls clawing at you. Especially drunk girls at the bar.”

“I—“

“But nothing says sexy like yelling at every stranger you meet at the bar how much you love your girlfriend.”

Helena opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. 

Dinah kissed her jaw. “Anyway,” she mumbled, “I would appreciate it if you stopped wiggling.”

“I’m not wiggling.”

“You’re like a boat on the ocean.”

“I’m not even moving,” Helena insisted. 

“Really? Fuck, I must be drunk.”

Helena chuckled. Dinah’s head bobbed on her chest. Dinah groaned. 

“Alright, come on,” Helena said. “Time for bed.” She slid out from under Dinah and sat up. She put the discarded glasses and water bottles on the coffee table. Dinah didn’t move off the floor. She didn’t even turn over, just opting to lay in the exact same position on her stomach as if Helena hadn’t even moved. 

“Want to sleep there?” Helena asked, peering down at her. 

“Mm-mm,” Dinah sighed as a no. 

“Come on,” Helena lightly kicked her thigh. 

“Mm-mm,” Dinah sounded again. 

Helena sighed. A second later, she disappeared, and suddenly the light in the living room was on. 

“Ugh!” Dinah cried, clenching her eyes shut tighter. 

Dinah heard her lose her step and stumble a bit, but soon Helena was back over her. 

“Come on,” Helena said, kicking Dinah’s thigh again. 

“No.”

Suddenly, two strong arms were lifting Dinah to hold her bridal-style. Dinah put her arms around Helena’s neck and laid on her shoulder. 

“So strong,” Dinah mumbled. “So tall.”

Helena chuckled. “How often do you just think about me being tall?”

“So often.”

Soon, Dinah was down on the bed. She cuddled up where she landed, which happened to be on Helena’s special pillow. 

“Noooo,” Helena whined. “Your side.”

“Mmm! Comfy!”

Helena shoved her over to her side. 

“Unkind,” Dinah mumbled. “If you loved me, you would have let me be comfortable.”

“Believe it or not, I do love you. It’s for your own good that I sleep on my pillow.”

Dinah pulled her blankets over her. 

Helena shut the light off and flopped onto the bed. 

“Tonight was fun,” Dinah vaguely heard Helena say. She hummed in agreement. Helena continued, “I’ll make you French toast when you’re hungover in the morning.”

Dinah hummed again, this time because French toast sounded tasty. 

Helena snuggled up to her. Dinah felt her naked body now. Then, she felt Helena press a kiss to her bare shoulder. 

Dinah’s last thought before she passed out was of the love she had for the other woman, who could turn an emergency into a really wonderful night together. 


	29. Furniture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ikea furniture

  
Helena was a sucker for literally anything Dinah recommended.

Maybe she wasn’t a sucker, exactly. 

She trusted Dinah, as she should. With such little experience with pretty much everything in life, Dinah was her person to go to for advice or to learn something new. 

So when Helena wanted some nice furniture for the living room, she went to Dinah. Dinah had just moved in, so she had an opinion too, since it was going to be her living room furniture. Dinah was delighted when Helena asked and agreed to go to Ikea, because she said a day at Ikea was always a day well spent. 

Helena also trusted Dinah when Dinah insisted that the furniture was easy to assemble. Like a sucker, Helena just agreed and went with everything Dinah said. 

It wasn’t until Helena had a precariously put together side table that Helena decided she hated Ikea, she hated side tables, and she suddenly truly hated her roommate. 

“What the fuck?!” Helena cried. She was trying to tamp down on those anger issues, but she didn’t think a fucking side table warranted a call to her therapist. 

Dinah was sitting on the couch a few feet away. She didn’t glance up from her magazine. “Hmm?”

“Son of a fucking bitch, fuck,” Helena mumbled. 

“You okay?” Dinah asked noncommittally. 

Helena picked up the instructions. “How the fuck do I have leftover pieces?”

“Try again.”

“I won’t fucking try again—“ Helena crumpled the instructions and threw it on the floor. 

“It’s alright,” Dinah said. 

Helena didn’t fucking care. She could rid the world of the stupid side table and hire someone to assemble the rest. Hell, maybe Dinah should try. 

Helena marched into her bedroom, to her closet, and grabbed her bow. She loaded it with a dart and went back to the living room. She didn’t need her therapist or for Dinah to tell her it was okay. 

Helena returned to the living room. She lifted her bow, aimed at the stupid mess of wood, and shot it. It was hit with enough force that it shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces and was unsalvageable. 

Helena cracked a smile. At least it was taken care of. 

“You better?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. 

“Great,” Dinah said. “Dramatic motherfucker.”

Helena set her bow on the kitchen island. “You do it, then!”

“Who do you think assembled the shelf in my room?!”

“Then why the fuck am I doing this?!”

“I thought you were good with your hands and shit!”

Helena wanted to break something else. “You fucking do it,” she said instead. “I’ll be back.”

She grabbed Dinah’s car keys. 

“The fuck, you’re taking my car?!”

“That way you can’t leave!”

“This is a hostage situation!”

“Be finished by the time I get back!” Helena yelled as she exited the apartment, slamming the door behind her. 

Helena drove around to give Dinah enough time to build the leftover furniture. She drove around for a while, filled up Dinah’s car with gas, then picked up dinner for the both of them. She hoped to make it up to Dinah for throwing a tantrum. She hoped to tell Dinah she didn’t hate her, even if that was a private thought in her head. 

When Helena returned, she walked into the living room to see the furniture completely assembled. Fuck Dinah. 

The roommate in question was in the kitchen, cracking open a beer. 

“She’s back,” Dinah said instead of greeting. 

“Mmm,” Helena sighed. “I brought dinner. To apologize.”

Dinah patted her back in a friendly way. “You might be fucking crazy, but you’re pretty good at apologizing.”

Helena shrugged. She set the food—Dinah’s favorite from her favorite Chinese food place—on the island. 

“I am sorry I lost my temper. I’m trying, I really am.”

“I know. It’s not like you’re a ticking time bomb. I understand you were frustrated.” Dinah stroked a piece of Helena’s hair back off her forehead. 

It was so intimate that Helena had to force herself not to recoil. She didn’t want Dinah to never touch her again, to think she was a fucking weirdo who she couldn’t be a normal friend to. Dinah was a touchy person, and Helena wanted to really not mind her touches. 

“How do you feel?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. “Better, thank you.”

Dinah pulled her hand away. Helena frowned. 

“Beer?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded again. 

When Dinah went to the fridge, Helena began taking their food out. 

The rest of the night felt like a nice, normal night. Helena felt better and had nice furniture for the living room. 

And she couldn’t wait for the next thing Dinah suckered her into. 


	30. Bear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Come on, that can’t be the whole story!”

Neither of them liked to sleep sometimes.

It wasn’t that they weren’t tired, it was just that sleep was hard to accomplish when your brain wouldn’t turn off. Sleep was doubly hard to accomplish when your bed mate’s brain wouldn’t turn off, either. 

They would lay together, say goodnight, shut their eyes, and just know the other wasn’t asleep. 

Sometimes they didn’t feel like much of anything, so there was no television or sex or a nightcap or tea. There was just dark silence. 

There was peace. 

They thought during these times. About everything. 

Dinah: about her mom, about the night her mom died, about events in her life that led up to working with the Birds of Prey to right the wrongs of Gotham. 

Helena: about her life leading up to her journey back to Gotham. She didn’t think about it a lot; sometimes the period living in Sicily was a weird dark blackout that she wanted to forget. Not all of it. Just...the circumstance. 

“What are you thinking about?” Dinah asked, hand not pausing in Helena’s hair. 

“Sicily.”

“Oh yeah?” Dinah asked, curious. “Wanna talk about it?”

Helena took a deep breath. She did. She really did. But it was early, their relationship. She didn’t want to tell Dinah about the insane shit she went through. Not yet. 

“One time,” Helena said instead, “I caught a bear.”

Dinah lifted her head to look down at Helena. The fairy lights above their bed gave enough light for Helena to see a very confused but amused look in Dinah’s face. 

“What?!”

Helena chuckled. “I caught a bear. It was an accident.”

“How the fuck did you accidentally catch a bear?”

“I set a trap in the backyard. Few yards away from the house. There were always bears around. The trap wasn’t supposed to be for a bear, but I guess it worked.”

Dinah was still staring at her. “That can’t be the whole story.”

Helena shrugged. “How much time do you have?”

“Baby, we got all night.”

Helena smiled. Dinah tucked into her side again. 

Helena told her story. “I was maybe fourteen, and I hadn’t received my first bow yet. There wasn’t much to do, and plotting revenge without faithfully knowing how to use a weapon was a little tricky.

“So I made a lot of things. I spent a lot of time in the garage where I’d help fix the cars or something. There were always cars in and out, people coming and going who needed help. 

“Anyway, I was good at building things—“

“As long as it’s not a fucking Ikea side table.”

Helena laughed. “Want me to continue?”

“Please,” Dinah said, laughing back. 

“Anyway, I made a trap once. I worked on it for a long time, made a blueprint and everything. I worked on it for weeks. It was impressive. 

“I snuck some parts out of a car—“

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean...when nobody was in the garage, I opened up the engine of a car and stole some parts.”

“And nobody noticed this?!”

Helena shrugged. “I dunno. They might’ve. Just a few parts from different cars. A screw here, a bolt there, a crankshaft, a piston...Little things.”

Dinah was laughing. “Fucking...okay, so you stole car parts. What else?”

“I made the trap. It wasn’t like a snap trap, it was more like a drawbridge. It would fall on top of whoever tripped it and trap them to the ground without hurting them too much. I didn’t want blood or to kill anything.”

“Not then.”

Helena chuckled. “Not something or someone innocent.”

“So, then? You set it?”

“I did, but I didn’t set it for a few weeks after it was complete. First, because it was raining for a while. Second, because I didn’t know what to trap. I certainly didn’t have a bear in mind.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“This guy who began to come around the house. He was...he was just not good. The men I lived with, they were kind. Kind enough. They treated me like family. 

“This guy was bad. He gave me looks...” Helena shivered. “He never did anything, nothing more than creepy glances, but I still didn’t like him.”

“That’s fair,” Dinah said, rubbing Helena’s arm. 

“He would bring a car, park it in the garage, and wander our grounds. So, one day after it stopped raining, I set the trap far away from the house where I knew he disappeared to sometimes. I don’t know why he did that. But I wanted to show him. Something. Not to fuck with me.”

“Mhm,” Dinah agreed. 

“So I set the trap and hid. I waited around until finally I heard rustling and assumed it was him. The trap went off and something fell to the ground under it.”

“And it was a fucking bear?”

“No. It was one of my uncles.”

“What?!”

Helena laughed. “Yeah, he was pissed. He was so mad that I was grounded for the first and last time.”

“So what the hell was with the bear?”

“Yeah, I tried it again. It was a week later. I snuck out to set the trap, then watched through binoculars from my window for something. It wasn’t until the next day that the poor bear got caught.”

“What happened?” 

“I snuck out again to confront whatever it was. If it was that man, which I’d hoped, I was going to kick his face in. Instead, it was a little bear.”

“How did you free it?”

“I felt like I had practically stopped my heart to keep calm. I guess it trusted me though. I just unlatched the lock, it sniffed my hand, let me pet it, and then ran away.”

Dinah laughed. “So you never confronted that guy?”

“No. One of my uncles did. He caught him staring through my bedroom window. Beat the shit out of him.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. They were good Catholic assassins. Vowed to keep me pure.”

“As a...killing machine.”

Helena laughed. “I guess.”

Dinah was smiling at her from her pillow. “Is that story all true?”

“Why would I make up petting a bear?”

Dinah laughed again. “You’ve always been insane.”

“Pretty much.”

Dinah kissed her shoulder. “I don’t have any interesting stories.”

“You can tell me anything and I’ll be interested.”

“I’ll think of something sometime,” Dinah said, then promptly yawned. 

Helena kissed her forehead. “Sleep.”

Dinah’s eyes drifted shut. “Thanks for the bedtime story.”

“Anytime.”

“Love you,” Dinah said, then pursed her lips.

Helena pressed a kiss to her waiting lips. “I love you.”

Helena felt more calm after her story, and after Dinah shut her eyes. She was able to drift to sleep with Dinah heavy at her side. 


	31. Compliments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You look radiant today.” “If you want something just say it!”
> 
> Helena being awkward. I do this too, where I think I need to obsessively and weirdly compliment people. I am not good at it either.

Helena was new at...everything.

She was new at interacting with an outside world. She was new at talking to people. She was even new at having a cell phone—she was not adjusting well to having to carry the little thing everywhere.

She was certainly new at having a girlfriend. 

That was brand fuckin’ new. Like three weeks. 

(Three weeks, two days, and an hour...but who was counting?)

Helena still wasn’t really sure how to interact with Dinah. Were there supposed to be kisses all the time? Was she supposed to touch Dinah? Was she supposed to talk to Dinah differently now that they slept together? So many things were different. 

Helena also had zero chill. When she went for something, she went all in. She did her homework and worked for whatever she wanted. 

So, her phone’s internet history was not surprised when, three weeks in, she Googled “how to treat your girlfriend”. 

She did feel incredibly embarrassed, even though nobody else would have to know what she Googled. It wasn’t like it was porn or something. It wasn’t really bad. It was just embarrassing. 

But she wanted to be doing it right. She wanted to be treating Dinah right. She wanted to treat Dinah like her girlfriend. Like a girlfriend should be treated. 

Helena found a pretty reliable list of things to do for a girlfriend. On the list was many things she already did, like cook and clean. 

Down on the list, Helena found “shower her with compliments”. 

Huh, Helena thought. She was so not good at compliments. That first day after meeting Dinah, there was an awkward comment about how high Dinah kicked in her tight pants, which Helena thought about for days later and what a fucking idiot she’d been. 

However, she realized that complimenting Dinah was a weapon with endless ammo. Dinah was incredible in a million different ways. 

Too bad Helena was awkward in a million different ways. 

Helena didn’t notice Dinah enter her room as she continued reading the list. 

“Hey baby,” Dinah said, now dressed in a usual outfit for a night at the club. 

Helena quickly exited the webpage and locked her phone. 

Dinah chuckled. “What’re you doing? Are you looking at porn again?”

“No!” Helena cried. “No, that was...a mistake one only makes once.”

Dinah laughed. She went to the dresser. “Are my gold hoops in here?”

Helena sat up and grabbed them off her bedside table, where Dinah left them last time they slept in there. 

“Thanks,” Dinah said with a smile as she took them. “How do I look?”

“Good,” Helena said, so fucking awkwardly. She mentally kicked herself. The opportunity was right there! So, she cleared her throat and tried again. “Uh...you look great. Amazing. I like your...shoes. Your pants are...shiny.”

Dinah looked kind of confused, and Helena understood. Those were many more words than Helena usually gave. 

“Thanks,” Dinah said. 

Helena forced a smile. 

“Alright. Anyway,” Dinah said, “Are you coming with me or staying home?”

Helena wanted to go. Not only was she usually bored without Dinah, but she wanted to spend time with Dinah. 

“I’ll go,” she said, getting off the bed. 

Dinah smiled. She held out her hand.

Helena gladly took it. They held hands all the way down to the car, and on the way, Helena paid Dinah four obscure compliments. 

The very strangest one was, “Your hands are very soft. Like a...dolphin.”

On the drive, Helena gave Dinah three weird compliments, including, “You drive like an old person. Like...really safe.”

When they got to the bar and Dinah began to work, Helena continued her quest of drowning Dinah in compliments. 

“Your muscles are nice when you shake drinks.”

“Your skin glows really pretty under the bar lights.”

“Your brain must be huge because your memory to make drinks is impressive.”

She wanted to die every time she opened her mouth. Every time Dinah looked so confused. Every time Annie, who was working the bar with Dinah for the evening, laughed hysterically. 

Finally, Helena was pretty tipsy, and told Dinah, “You look radiant this evening.”

Dinah put down the glass she was holding. “Okay, what’s going on? Do you want something?”

“Huh?”

Dinah looked skeptical. “Did you do something?”

“No! I...”

“What...?” Dinah sounded accusing. 

“I didn’t do anything! I just wanted to give you compliments. It’s stupid.”

Dinah still looked a little bit like she didn’t trust what Helena was saying. “What do you mean?”

Helena frowned. “I just want to make sure I’m...you know...doing a good job.”

“A good job? At what?”

“Being a girlfriend!” Helena cried. 

Annie and a few other people from down the bar looked over. Dinah glanced at them, and Helena felt her cheeks heat up from embarrassment. 

Dinah reached over the bar and took Helena’s hand, then she began to step out from behind the bar. 

“Annie, I’m taking five,” she called over her shoulder. 

“Sounds like you need it.”

Dinah dragged Helena to the back and out the back door to where the car was parked and no people were loitering. 

Dinah leaned against the car. “So, what’s going on?”

Helena crossed her arms and looked down at her shoes. “I read an article that said I should compliment you to treat you well.”

“Why...were you reading an article about complimenting someone?”

“It wasn’t about complimenting someone. It was about how to treat your girlfriend.”

Dinah shook her head. “How...how did you find this article?”

“I...Googled it.”

Dinah sighed. She rubbed her eyes. “Fuck, stop doing so much cute shit.”

“What?!” Helena looked up at her. “That’s not cute, that’s fucking pathetic! I’m an adult, I should know how to be a nice person—“

“Hey,” Dinah stopped her. She put her hands on Helena’s arms. “First of all, you are a nice person. You’re a good person, and you’re good to me. Second, you’re a pretty emotionally stunted adult, honey. You know it, I know it. I don’t need weird stuff that internet said to know you care about me.”

Helena just stared at her. 

“Sure, maybe I’d like to hear more than ‘nice’ or ‘good’ every once in a while. But not...that my skin feels like a goddamn dolphin.”

Helena cracked a smile. “I know, I’m so weird.”

Dinah kissed her forehead. “You’re not. Or you are. And that’s okay.”

Helena reached across to Dinah and rubbed the exposed skin of her belly. “Will you tell me if I’m not doing a good job?”

“I mean, yeah. I wouldn’t live the rest of my life with someone who was super shitty.”

‘Rest if my life’ rang through Helena’s ears. She didn’t comment on it. She just thought about it very hard. 

Dinah kissed her cheek. “I should get back in. Do you want to stay or go home?”

“Stay,” Helena instantly said. 

Dinah smiled. She hugged Helena, then, her arms going around Helena’s neck tightly. 

Holding Dinah close felt so good. Her hugs were like magic. Like the weighted blanket on her bed, Dinah’s hugs kept her calm and grounded. 

Helena decided to say it. “You give really awesome hugs.”

Dinah chuckled. “Yeah? You don’t do too bad yourself, killer.”

Helena smiled. Finally, a compliment that didn’t feel extremely weird. 

Dinah pulled away first. “Come on. Inside. I’ll get you another drink.”

Helena followed her in. Gladly. Feeling so much better than before. 


	32. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You...you know that’s not how that would work, right?”
> 
> Thank you for reading!

“Hey honey,” Dinah heard whispered next to her ear. She didn’t bother opening her eyes, knowing Helena would talk to her anyway like she was fully awake and ready to have a conversation. 

Helena did continue, “I’m going to get some bagels from that place a few blocks away. You know, the ones we really like?” 

Dinah wondered why the hell she needed to be woken up to hear that. 

“You guys sleep tight,” Helena said. 

You guys?

“I was kicked all night,” Helena added with a laugh. “I know you guys can use the rest. I’ll be right back.”

Extremely confused, Dinah peeked her eyes open to see Helena climbing out of bed and slipping discarded sweatpants on. She saw Helena pick up a hoodie from the floor and put it on, too. 

Helena spotted her watching. She gave a smile. “I’ll be right back,” she said, soft, and...strange. 

Then, Helena climbed back over the bed, but instead of kissing Dinah’s lips or cheek, she kissed Dinah’s stomach. 

Dinah’s fucking huge stomach. 

That finally made Dinah wake up. She gasped awake and instantly grabbed for her flat stomach. She lifted her blankets and peered below, seeing nothing but her own muscles where her shirt was tangled up at her chest. 

It was a dream. 

That was the first dream. 

Three nights later, she dreamt that Helena was trying to get her to eat better because the baby needed healthy foods. 

Two nights after that, she dreamt that they had a baby. A girl, named Maria, after Helena’s mom, a tiny bundle of light brown skin and giant dark eyes, who somehow looked like a perfect mix of both of them even though she was a newborn. In the dream, Helena was holding their daughter, and commented that she always thought newborns were supposed to be weird looking little aliens, but their baby was actually pleasant to look at. 

The very next night, she dreamt that she was huge pregnant again, and Helena was talking to her belly. They were sitting on the couch, and Helena was telling the baby about the day they met, how they met, and how Dinah fell in love with her instantly. Dinah rolled her eyes, and the baby kicked, so Dinah joked that even the baby knew she was a fucking liar. 

Dinah had so many weird feelings toward her weird dreams. She was so confused as to why they were happening, and she was so mixed about if it was something she wanted. 

Did she? No. They didn’t. She never wanted kids. Ever. In her whole life. And she couldn’t imagine Helena ever wanting a kid. 

So why...?

Dinah was sitting on the couch, daydreaming. She was thinking about how natural and happy the dreams felt. There was no question in the dreams, it was just normal. 

Helena flopped down on the couch next to her. She was holding a bowl of popcorn. 

“You’ve got—“ Helena muttered, reaching for Dinah’s stomach. 

Dinah smacked Helena’s hand away before she could touch Dinah’s shirt. 

Helena looked at her with wide eyes. “You have something on your shirt.”

Dinah looked down. There was a smudge, maybe ketchup from the cheeseburger she just ate, low on the belly of her shirt. 

“The hell?” Helena asked. 

Dinah rubbed her eyes. “I keep...having dreams...about us.” 

“Mm, what kind of dreams?” Helena wiggled her eyebrows. 

“Not that kind of dream,” Dinah said, “I keep dreaming that I’m...” She nearly whispered the word, “pregnant.”

“Why...is that...is it a bad word?”

“No! It’s just...weird. It’s weird!”

Helena was just staring. “With me, right?”

“Yes, with you. Like...I’m having your baby. Or sometimes, she’s born and—“

“She?” Helena asked. 

“Yeah,” Dinah said.

“Huh,” Helena mumbled. 

“What?”

Helena shrugged. “I always imagine us having a girl, too.”

“What? You imagine it?”

“Well, yeah. Not, like, a lot. Just sometimes, if we’re watching a movie, or we see a baby, I do think about it.”

“Yeah, but you don’t dream about knocking me up.”

“You...” Helena furrowed her eyebrows. “You know that’s...that’s not how it’d work...right?”

Dinah threw her hands in the air. “I know that!”

Helena bit her lip and looked down at Dinah’s body. “I mean, we can try.” She leaned in. 

Dinah pushed her away. 

Helena laughed. “So you’re having dreams. So what? It’s not like you’re actually pregnant.”

“I know,” Dinah said. “I know, it just...feels weird, I guess. It’s not anything I’ve ever thought about. I’ve never wanted kids. Have you? Do you?”

“God no,” Helena said. “Never. I just think about it, that’s all.”

Dinah nodded. 

“I bet you’d look hot pregnant,” Helena said. 

“What the fuck? Who says that?!” 

Helena shrugged with a grin on her face. 

“Weirdo,” Dinah added. 

Helena lifted popcorn to her mouth. She was looking down at Dinah’s stomach. 

Dinah shoved her. “Stop!”

Helena laughed. 

Dinah reached over for a handful of popcorn. “In one dream, you were trying to tell the baby that I had the hots for you the first time we met.”

“See? Your subconscious knows that’s true. Just like we all do.”

“You yelled at me!”

“I saw the way you looked at me. Your gaze was not subtle while checking me out.”

“Oh my god,” Dinah said. 

Helena laughed again. “I had the hots for you, too.”

“I know you did,” Dinah said. “Mentioning my tight fucking pants.”

“Please, a blind nun would still be scandalized by how tight your pants are.”

Dinah laughed hard. “That was a good one.”

Helena looked proud at her joke. After a second, she added, “That night wasn’t the first time I saw you, though.”

Dinah looked surprised. “It wasn’t?”

“No. I was at the Black Mask Club before that. Looking for Zsasz.”

“And you saw me there?”

Helena nodded. “You worked for Sionis. He was...I don’t know, hugging you or something. I felt like he didn’t have a right to touch you, even then. Before I knew you.”

Dinah ran a finger over Helena’s jaw. “Knew I was yours even then?”

Helena shrugged. “Probably.”

Dinah just smiled at her softly. “Anyway,” she said, eating some more popcorn. “Are we going to watch a movie or not?”

Helena picked up the remote and turned on Netflix. As she scrolled, the movies she paused on had a purposeful genre. 

“Baby Mama?”

Dinah glared at her. 

“Boss Baby?”

Dinah rolled her eyes. 

“Babies!”

“Stop!”

Helena laughed. “I’m kidding. Pick whatever you want.”

“Well, now I want to watch Baby Mama! Because it’s really funny!”

Helena clicked the movie. 

“No jokes.”

“Fine,” Helena agreed as the credits began. 

They were silent for a few minutes, but Dinah knew Helena just dropping it was too good to be true. 

Sure enough, Helena suddenly said, “Are you like my fake-baby mama?”

Dinah got up from the couch. “I’m leaving.”

“No! Come on! It wasn’t even a joke! It was a real observation!”

Dinah didn’t reply. She just walked to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. 

She heard Helena laugh. Dinah knew she’d return in a few minutes, just long enough for Helena to shut up about it. 

But Dinah felt better after talking about it, and knowing Helena’s stance on having kids. 

The dreams disappeared after one or two more. Then, they were just a fond daydream that she knew they didn’t need to come true.


	33. Upset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Are you fighting?” “No—“ “Yes!”
> 
> Poor Helena. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Dinah was quiet. Usually, she was the one who initiated conversation, but she hadn’t spoken since they left the grocery store.

That was four and a half hours ago. They were picking up dinner items, and when Dinah picked up a package of instant soup, saying that she loved it when she was younger, Helena made a face and said something about not being allowed to eat that soup when she was a kid. 

Helena hadn’t thought about it, but Dinah was weirdly quiet ever since. 

Dinah didn’t have to go to the club that night, so it was an early, easy night. Helena sat near her on the couch until she grew so bored watching television shows that she decided a shower would be enough of a cut in their schedule. 

“I’m going to shower,” Helena said, sitting up to get off the couch. “Do you need to get in the bathroom before I do?”

“I have my own bathroom,” Dinah said, not taking her eyes off the television. 

“Alright,” Helena said without any question, without really thinking about Dinah’s tone. She just got up and went to her bedroom. 

When she got out of the shower, she noticed she couldn’t hear the television anymore. She opened the bathroom door to check if Dinah was in bed, but she wasn’t. Helena didn’t think much of it; maybe Dinah wanted them to sleep in her bed. That was fine. Helena just got dressed and exited her bedroom. 

All the lights were off, even Dinah’s bedroom light was off. Helena let herself in anyway. 

“I didn’t know you’d want to sleep in here,” Helena commented as she sat down on Dinah’s bed. 

“Mmm,” Dinah mumbled. Her back was facing Helena. 

“Are you asleep already?”

“Mmm,” Dinah sighed again. 

“Okay,” Helena said. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Dinah muttered. 

Helena just laid next to her, not touching. She didn’t want to disturb Dinah if she was already asleep. Instead, she fell asleep on her own side. 

—-

Dinah was still quiet the next morning. She barely thanked Helena for coffee and breakfast. She didn’t say anything when Helena asked what she wanted to do that day. She vaguely answered when Helena asked what time her shift began that evening. 

Helena didn’t think about it. She gave Dinah space. She didn’t pry. 

She did, however, ask once if Dinah was alright. Dinah snapped that she was fine. 

Helena just left her alone. 

Around dinnertime, Helena began to make Dinah something quick before she left for work. She opted for a salad, because it was quick and easy and usually she couldn’t go wrong with a salad. 

When Dinah exited her bedroom, ready to leave for her shift, Helena announced that she made a salad. 

“I’m not hungry,” Dinah said. 

“I...okay,” Helena sighed. “You should eat before you go, though.”

“I don’t want to,” Dinah replied, sounding hostile. 

Helena was kind of confused. “Okay,” was all she said, taking her salad and sitting at the island. 

There was an awkward shift to the air. Dinah got a glass of water and stood pretty much as far away from Helena as she could, and Helena just ate her salad. 

Eventually, a buzz at the building’s intercom interrupted the silence. Dinah all but stomped over to the box. 

“Yeah?” she answered. 

“It’s us!” Cass’ voice rang back. 

Dinah sighed. “Come on up,” she said, clicking the door open. “Fucking great,” she said after. 

Helena didn’t say anything. She didn’t mind spending the evening with Cass and even Harley. 

The two girls got to the apartment in no time. Dinah answered the door, and Cass burst through excitedly, holding two boxes of pizza. 

“We brought dinner!” Cass announced. 

“And dessert,” Harley added, dropping a box of donuts on the island. 

“Nice,” Helena said, glad because she’d finished her salad. It wasn’t much. 

Dinah joined them at the island. Then, she reached around Cass and got a slice of pizza. 

Helena watched her, totally surprised. She just said...did she not want a salad? She should have just said...

Helena didn’t let that go. “I thought you weren’t hungry.”

“Now I am,” Dinah snapped. “Is that alright?”

“I mean, yeah. Do whatever you want. I just—“ Helena realized it didn’t matter. She wasn’t mad. Dinah didn’t owe her eating her damn salad. “It’s fine,” Helena finally said. 

“Oh shit,” Cass muttered. “Are you guys fighting?”

“Are you?!” Harley cried. 

“No—“ Helena said. 

At the same time, Dinah said, “Yes.”

“What?!” Helena asked. 

Harley and Cass began to laugh. 

“I didn’t know we were fighting!” Helena cried. 

“Okay, maybe we’re not fighting, but I’m mad at you!”

“Why?!”

Harley and Cass just ate their pizza and watched like it was an intriguing tennis match. 

“Yesterday! About the soup! You made me feel like shit because I ate that soup when I was a kid!”

“What?! How?!”

“Because you sounded disgusted at the thought of eating it!”

Helena was so confused. “What?!”

“Because your rich ass never needed fifty-cent instant soup!”

“What?!”

“And I grew up needing to eat it, okay?!”

Helena rubbed her forehead. “I don’t understand how my comment about soup transpired into all of this! You’ve been mad at me for two days!”

“You made me feel like shit, okay?! And it wasn’t the first time! You always do!”

“WHAT?!” Helena practically yelled now. “What are you talking about?!”

She hardly noticed Harley and Cass slowly backing towards the living room. 

Dinah ignored them, too. She continued, “Money isn’t an option for you! You just throw it around like you’re made of gold! We go out, you order the most expensive wine and you drop a ton of money at the bar and your sheets are worth more than half my wardrobe and you give Cass whatever she wants and...we don’t have that okay! Sometimes you just look like an ass!”

Helena didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know she did that. She knew she didn’t think of money when it came to buying things. She knew she said, “I got it. It’s not a big deal.” a lot. She didn’t realize that for Dinah it was a big deal. 

“I...I’m sorry.”

“I just don’t like feeling judged.”

“I wasn’t judging you!”

“I felt like you were, okay!”

Helena sighed. “I didn’t mean for that.”

Dinah was silent. All Helena heard in the room was Harley and Cass chewing on their pizza behind her. She felt their eyes on them. 

Helena didn’t know what else to say. “I’m sorry,” she tried again. 

“I know you don’t do it on purpose. And it’s just me being stupid, I know that—“

“Your feelings are never stupid. I wish you would tell me I’m being an ass.”

“Only sometimes. And it’s not your fault. It’s not your fault you never had to eat that shitty soup growing up.”

Helena didn’t say anything. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was mad at you,” Dinah said. 

“I wish you would have. That way we could talk about it then rather than a day later,” Helena pointed behind herself. “With an audience.”

Dinah glanced at the two in the living room. “Yeah. I know.”

“Do you often get mad at me without me noticing?” Helena asked. 

“Not really.”

“But sometimes?”

Dinah shrugged. 

“Okay, please tell me when I do something that bothers you. Okay?”

Dinah nodded. 

“I would tell you,” Helena added. 

Dinah looked at her. “Would? Meaning...nothing I do bothers you?”

“Of course not,” Helena said. 

Cass spoke up. “What about that week that she wanted you to go vegan? You bitched about that until she changed her mind.”

“What?” Dinah asked, staring at Helena. 

Harley spoke next. “What about that time she shrunk all of your laundry?”

“What?!”

“What about—“

Helena held up a hand. “I think she gets it!”

Dinah crossed her arms. “Do I? Is there more to know?”

“Okay, fine, there have been things in the past that I didn’t agree with,” Helena said, “But I don’t stop talking to you over it!”

Dinah grabbed her keys. “From now on, I’ll tell you any time you bother me, as long as you tell me instead of bitch to these bitches.”

“Deal,” Helena said, holding out her hand. 

Dinah took it across the island and shook on the agreement. 

“Love you,” Dinah added. 

“I love you,” Helena replied. 

“This a fucking business deal?” Harley asked. “God, I can’t imagine what the vows at your wedding will be like.”

Cass laughed. “They’re gonna be like, ‘I’ll love you as long as you love me. Deal?’ And the person marrying them will be like, ‘You may now shake hands.’”

Helena smiled as she let go of Dinah’s hand. Dinah was smiling, too. Somehow, Helena knew Dinah was thinking about their future wedding vows, too, knowing that they would eventually exist. Sometime. Later. 

Helena felt better when Dinah left, but she made a note to notice any time Dinah seemed upset, hoping next time she’d pick up on her tells. Then, she hoped there wouldn’t be a next time. 

She hoped to never upset Dinah again, but they were only human. And it was bound to happen again. 


	34. Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “I’m not an animal. You can’t earn my trust with food.” “Honey, I did.” 
> 
> Warning for depression. This chapter is angsty. 
> 
> Helena has a dark day.

Helena wasn’t feeling well. It was just one of those days. She didn’t want to get out of bed, she couldn’t eat, and she generally didn’t feel like doing much.

She didn’t even want to be near Dinah, which was sad. She couldn’t hold a conversation. She wasn’t much company. She just felt...

Dark. 

She felt nothing. 

It wasn’t often that she felt as such. With therapy and the help of her friends, she generally felt pretty good. Her family was avenged. She completed her hit list. She was pretty accomplished. How many other people reach all of their life’s goals before they’re thirty?

Still. 

She was happy. She was happy with Dinah and her new life. But it wasn’t Dinah’s job to completely change her mental health. Thinking, “I’m happy with this one person,” is a lot of pressure to put on someone. 

So sometimes. It just caught up with Helena. 

She laid in bed, her weighted blanket tugged all the way up to her cheek, burrowed in comfortably, staring at the closet door. She was curled into the tightest ball she could be in, and it was comfortable. 

Dinah left her alone, which was fine. Dinah pretty much knew when Helena needed a day. She knew when Helena couldn’t get out of bed, when Helena didn’t feel like much. She knew and she was okay with it. Helena thought. She never asked. 

Helena fell asleep when the sun went down. She didn’t know what time it was, but she woke up again when the sun was well up. She checked her phone then, finding zero missed messages or calls. Helena knew Dinah always let everyone (Renee, Harley, and Cass) know when she was having a dark day. 

It was two in the afternoon. Helena had slept for probably eighteen hours. She didn’t really feel much better. Just more groggy. 

She laid half asleep and half awake, still staring at her closet door, for about half an hour before the door creaked open. 

“Hey baby,” Dinah whispered. “I brought you some food. You need to eat something.”

It had been two days, three days? since she last ate. Dinner the night before last. It seemed like a million years ago. 

Dinah sat on the bed. Helena could tell it was tentative, like she wasn’t sure. She knew, to be safe, that Dinah sat at the foot of the bed against the footboard. 

“I didn’t know what kind of food would be the best,” Dinah said, “So I brought a fruit and yogurt parfait, a peanut butter sandwich, a chocolate cupcake, and gummy worms.”

Helena focused on the gummy worms, the first real thing she’d paid attention to in a while. 

She slowly turned enough to look at Dinah. 

Dinah was smiling, the dimple in her cheek on full view. “Hi,” she said softly. 

Helena looked at the T.V. meal tray set up with food next to Dinah. In addition to the snacks Dinah mentioned, there was also a cup of coffee, an unopened bottle of beer, a bottle of water, and a glass of orange juice. 

Dinah was too good for her. 

“How do you feel?” Dinah asked. 

Helena shrugged. She really didn’t know. 

“Are you hungry?” Dinah asked. 

Helena shrugged again. 

“Do you want me to go?” Dinah asked next. 

Helena shook her head. 

“‘Kay,” Dinah said, almost in a whisper. “I won’t go anywhere.”

Helena laid down again, facing away from Dinah. Her presence felt nice. It was nice to know Dinah wasn’t upset or annoyed. It was nice to know Dinah wanted to help, even if Helena didn’t let her in. 

But she let Dinah in a lot more than she’d ever let any other person in. She couldn’t imagine letting another person she’d met along the way sit on her bed while she was having a near-mental breakdown. 

Helena didn’t move for another, maybe, fifteen minutes. She just thought about Dinah. Good Dinah. Wonderful Dinah. Dinah, a true superhero, the hero her heart needed and wanted, a lovely woman who chose her. Her, Helena Bertinelli, of all people in the world. Of all the beautiful and open men and women in the entire world, Dinah chose Helena. 

The thought made her move. She finally turned over, and without any warning, crawled over to Dinah. Dinah didn’t move, like trying to stay still when approached by a wild animal. 

She wasn’t far off. Helena was somewhat a wild animal. An orphan, trained to kill, a temper like a lion, and rather inclined to protect what she loved. 

Helena laid on Dinah’s lap. Dinah slowly dug her fingers into Helena’s dirty hair and rubbed her scalp. 

The touch sent a feeling of satisfaction down Helena’s spine. Like a wild animal being petted into submission. She didn’t know what kind of animal was like that. Maybe a stray cat. 

“Tell me if you want a snack,” Dinah offered. 

Helena didn’t want to speak. Not really, not yet. She wasn’t ready. 

Dinah just rubbed her head, ran fingers through greasy strands of black hair. Helena almost wanted to apologize for it, tell Dinah she didn’t have to touch her if Dinah thought she was disgusting, but she didn’t. It felt too good. 

Finally, Helena’s thoughts of the gummy worms got so loud that she did speak up. She didn’t lift her head, but she mumbled, “Can I have a worm?” into Dinah’s thigh. 

Dinah quickly grabbed the entire bowl of candy. She held one over Helena’s mouth and fed her. 

The sugar was perfect. Helena felt like she’d never eaten anything better in her entire life. 

After a minute, Dinah fed her another, then another. Helena slowly felt herself relax. She felt the tension she didn’t know her body was holding dissipate into nothing. 

Rather than feeling numb, Helena began to feel bad. But it was something. 

She spoke again after half the bowl of worms was gone. “I’m not an animal,” she said, convincing herself, too. “You can’t just...earn my trust with food and head rubs.”

Dinah chuckled. “Baby, I did.”

Helena sighed. 

Dinah’s fingers didn’t stop. Helena reached for another worm, forcing herself to still want them. 

Her brain was shifting through so many emotions now. Everything that hadn’t been for days was coming in a flood. She felt bad, sad, remorseful, sorry for it all. She felt sorry that she didn’t do more in her life. She felt sorry that she didn’t honor her family enough. She felt sorry that she shut Dinah out for two days. 

A tear fell from her eyes and dampened Dinah’s pants below her. She tried to stop it, and instead her breath caught and stuttered in her chest. 

“Oh, baby...” Dinah sighed, her hand in Helena’s hair pausing. 

“I’m sorry,” Helena whispered. “I’m sorry for all of it.”

Dinah folded in half to cover Helena as much as she could. She put an arm under Helena’s head to cradle her close. 

“Don’t be sorry,” she whispered, holding Helena as much as she could. 

Helena felt fucking worse for crying in front of Dinah. Completely emotionless was one thing. Crying was another. 

“Let it out,” Dinah said encouragingly. “Please. Just let it out, baby.”

Helena couldn’t stop. She cried a giant wet patch on Dinah’s thigh. It seemed to last for hours. 

The whole time, Dinah whispered encouragement like, “Let it out, honey...that’s my girl...there you go, baby.” Like Helena was doing something wonderful. 

Maybe she was. But she didn’t like to cry. Especially in front of someone she wanted to think she was strong. 

“I’m sorry,” Helena whispered between sobs. “I’m sorry I’m weak.”

Dinah pressed kisses where she could reach, Helena’s shoulders and arms and her side. She replied, “Crying is gaining strength. It’s healthy. Let it out, please. Don’t keep it in.”

Helena cried. And cried. And cried. Until there were no more tears. She ran out with a choked hiccup.

Dinah was still partly on her, holding her tight. She didn’t move, and Helena didn’t think she would until she asked Dinah to. 

“It’s okay,” Dinah whispered. “You’re okay. I got you. I’ve always got you.”

Helena nodded. She trusted that. She trusted that Dinah would always get her. 

Dinah whispered some more. “I’ll always pick you up you when you fall. I’ll always cover you when you’re cold. I’ll always put you back together when you’re broken. I’ll always feed you gummy worms when you cry.”

Helena couldn’t help it. She really couldn’t. She let out a giggle. 

Dinah kissed her arm. “That sounded wonderful.”

Helena felt the giggle burst her open like an egg cracking. She felt...a little better. Lighter. Relieved. 

She turned a little bit, so Dinah sat up. Helena turned all the way onto her back. 

Dinah pushed hair off her forehead. 

“There’s my girl,” Dinah said, smiling brightly. Brighter than the sun on the first day of summer. She wiped an errant tear from Helena’s cheek. 

“I mean it,” Dinah added. “I’ll always be here for you. No matter what. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to support you.”

Helena frowned deeper. “You shouldn’t have to.”

“Yes I should,” Dinah insisted. “Because I love you.”

Helena swallowed the lump in her throat. “I love you too,” she said. 

Dinah smiled again. “I love hearing that.”

“I wish I could be better at showing you.”

“Baby, don’t do that. You show me more love than any person I’ve ever known. A bad day is a bad day. I get it. You are fine. You will be fine. I am fine. We are fine.”

Helena felt so relieved at Dinah’s never ending words of encouragement. 

Dinah leaned forward and kissed Helena’s forehead. 

After another twenty minutes, Dinah coaxed Helena into the shower. Helena spent almost the entire shower under the spray, letting the hot water splash over her with her head tilted back so Dinah could wash her hair. Dinah was so gentle. She grounded Helena to earth. She made Helena feel more pure. She made Helena feel like her journey had been worth it so far. 

When they got out, Helena feeling like the grime had been washed from her both physically and mentally, Dinah helped dry her off with one of their fluffiest towels. Dinah got her toothbrush ready and put some of her own leave-in conditioner in her hair, just because. Dinah even went into the bedroom to get some clothes for Helena, disappearing for many minutes before she returned to help Helena put the clothes on. 

They were silent almost the entire time. The only words exchanged were words of encouragement that Dinah gave her as she began and completed each task. Dinah didn’t do anything to else, no unnecessary touches or unwarranted kisses. She just helped Helena when she needed it. 

When Helena was scrubbed and in clean pajamas, Dinah told Helena that the next task was to eat. 

Helena didn’t really want to. She frowned. 

“Hey, even if it’s the rest of that big ass bag of gummy worms you bought for Cass,” Dinah said. “And some water. Please?”

Helena really didn’t want to. She didn’t feel like it. But she knew she needed to rehydrate and consume greater substance than candy. 

But nothing sounded better. Her stomach felt empty and repulsed by everything she thought of. 

“You lay back down,” Dinah told her, “And I’ll get you some more worms and water. ‘Kay?”

Helena nodded. 

When they got back to the bedroom, Helena saw her bed made with clean sheets. She realized Dinah must’ve been changing them when she disappeared to get clothes from the bedroom. 

Helena was so thankful. She didn’t deserve how good Dinah was to her. She felt herself begin to choke up again. 

“Hey, hey,” Dinah said softly. “What happened?”

Helena turned to Dinah. For the first time, she initiated touch by throwing herself at Dinah and wrapping her long arms around Dinah’s neck. She buried her face in Dinah’s hair and tried not to cry. 

“Oh baby,” Dinah sighed, rubbing her back. 

“You’re too good,” Helena said. “I don’t deserve you.”

“You do,” Dinah replied. “And I deserve you.” She kissed Helena’s shoulder. 

After a few minutes of hugging, Helena felt better. She was touched by Dinah’s kindness and almost didn’t want to let go, but Dinah insisted she needed to get Helena some water. Helena reluctantly went to the bed as Dinah went to the kitchen. 

Dinah returned with the huge bag of gummy worms, two bottles of water, and a bottle of purple Gatorade. Helena chugged the first bottle of water with a handful of worms. They sat comfortably against the headboard. 

“You let me know if you want real dinner,” Dinah said. “No pressure. I had a big Cesar salad for lunch, so I’m good for now.”

“Where did you get a salad from?” Helena asked, voice like a frog croaking. She took another drink of water. 

“I went grocery shopping this morning,” Dinah said. “I got some salmon to make this week, I thought that might be nice. I got, uh, those little chocolate covered raisins you like, too.”

“Thank you,” Helena said. “What else did you do without me?”

Dinah chuckled. “Well, not much, since you’re pretty much my number one source of entertainment. I did wash the car. And Renee and I went to the gym. We sparred and I kicked her ass, of course.”

“Of course,” Helena said fondly. 

“But...other than that I didn’t do anything. I ordered Chinese for dinner last night and went to bed early.”

Helena nodded. 

“Slept by myself for the first time in forever,” Dinah said. “Not fond of it.”

“I’m not either,” Helena admitted. 

Dinah smiled at her. “Baby, I hope you know that I mean it. I’m here for you, all the time. No matter what. If you ever want to tell me something, or like this time when you needed space, know that I’m not gonna be mad and walk out that door. Okay?”

Helena nodded. She still didn’t feel like a lot, but she did lean over and kissed Dinah’s cheek. 

Dinah smiled. “I love you, Helena Bertinelli. Always.”

“Always,” Helena agreed. 

Helena finished half the bag of gummy worms, her waters, and the Gatorade. She got up to pee before returning to bed and deciding she wanted to go back to sleep. 

“Will you stay?” she asked Dinah. It was only five in the afternoon. She didn’t blame Dinah if Dinah wanted to actually have an evening. 

But Dinah just laid down beside her. She opened her arms to let Helena cuddle next to her. 

“I’ll be here,” Dinah said, kissing her forehead. 

Helena closed her eyes, feeling much more free than earlier. Much more open. Much more loved. 


	35. Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Can you chill?” “I am chill.” ... “You don’t even need makeup.” “That’s sweet. Wrong. But sweet.”
> 
> A little fluff to lighten yesterday’s mood! Thank you for reading!

Helena checked her watch again. She didn’t always wear a watch, but her phone was tucked into Dinah’s purse because she didn’t want to use it for the night. They were going to a wedding, the daughter of one of Gotham’s higher-ups that had befriended the Birds along the way.

It was almost five. The wedding was at six, and since it was going to take almost thirty minutes to drive there, plus finding parking, and Helena wanted to leave as soon as possible. 

Dinah was still putting on her makeup. She wasn’t dressed yet. Her beautiful blue dress was hanging on her closet door, pressed and pristine and just waiting for Dinah to finish her freakin’ makeup to put it on already. 

Helena was ready a long time ago. She combed some mousse through her wavy hair, put a single braid in the side like she usually did, and opted for a natural look rather than smoky, dark makeup. She put on royal blue dress pants, almost the same color as Dinah’s dress, with a white shirt and tan suit jacket. She had tan high heels on, which truly tied the whole outfit together. 

She wasn’t going to wear high heels, except she knew Dinah would be wearing high heels and she had to still be taller than Dinah. On principle. 

Helena sighed loudly from Dinah’s bed. Dinah, in her bathroom, could hear the dramatic sound. 

“Stop that,” Dinah said. “I’m rushing.”

“You are not rushing. We are late.”

“Can you chill? Not all of us are effortlessly beautiful—“

“I am chill, and you don’t even need makeup.”

Dinah poked her head out the bathroom door. “That’s sweet,” she said, then added, “Wrong. But sweet.”

Helena sighed dramatically again. She looked down at her watch. It was dangerously closer to five. 

“I might go without you,” she threatened.

Dinah snorted. “Okay, sure. You’re not even the one who wants to go. You don’t like weddings.”

“That’s true,” Helena muttered. “Why do we have to go?”

“One of us might catch the bouquet.”

Helena rolled her eyes. 

Dinah was...not so subtle when it came to weddings, or marriage, or getting married, or getting engaged, or straight up telling Helena her ring size. 

Helena was supposed to get married. When she was a little girl, she knew she was supposed to get married at the same church her parents were married in. She was supposed to pick a nice man who could fit with the whole mafia-thing. 

Sometimes she wondered if the whole ideal of marrying a nice man went out the window before or after her family was killed. 

Nonetheless, once she got to an older age, she didn’t want to get married. Her world was revenge. She was a machine. She didn’t think she could ever love anyone. 

And then...

Dinah Lance.

Canary high-kicked her way into Helena’s life and nothing was the same again. 

They’d been together for over two years. Almost two and a half. Dinah seemed to firmly believe this was an ample amount of time to know someone before committing your life to them. Helena, who hadn’t spent that much time with a person since her little brother was born, did not know if two years was enough time to commit. 

Of course, she knew. She knew she would be with Dinah forever. Forever and ever and ever. 

But was that enough for marriage...

Yeah. It was. Why not? How different could marriage be?

Dinah exited the bathroom. Helena checked her watch. 

“It’s not like it’s your wedding,” Dinah said. “God knows it’s not.”

Helena rolled her eyes again. 

Dinah finally got dressed. Helena was not as effected by the sight of Dinah in her gorgeous dress, since she was worried they were growing increasingly more late. She just got off the bed and stood by the door. 

“Oh my god, hang on,” Dinah said, “I need shoes.”

“Put them on in the car, let’s go.”

“I can’t believe it,” Dinah said, picking up her shoes and purse, “You’re anxious for a wedding.”

Helena stopped herself from rolling her eyes again. 

“Hang on,” Dinah said after looking into her purse. She went back to the bathroom. 

“Oh my god!” Helena cried. 

Dinah was back in one second. She looked down at Helena’s heels. “Can you drive in those?”

“Can you move quicker?!”

“Can you relax?! We have time! We will get there!”

Helena practically dragged Dinah out of the apartment. She rushed down the stairs and to the building’s garage where the car was waiting. The top was down. 

“Hang on, put the top up,” Dinah instructed. 

“Ugh!” Helena sighed. 

“My hair looks awesome!”

“Just get in!”

“Why are you yelling at me!” Dinah yelled back. “You don’t even like weddings! Or marriage! Or—“

“Jesus Christ! If I ask you to marry me right now will you get your ass in the goddamn car?!”

Dinah paused. “What?!”

“I get it, okay! Will it be better if I ask you to marry me right now!”

“Well...” Dinah furrowed her eyebrows. “You don’t even want to!” Dinah argued. 

“I don’t not want to,” Helena said, not yelling anymore. “I’m just not sure. I mean, I am sure. I know we’ll be together forever. But getting married...it seems...”

“Really scary?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. 

Dinah went around the car to her. “I know,” Dinah said. “But...and I’m gonna be real for a second...I want to marry you so bad.”

Helena leaned against the car. With Dinah not wearing shoes, Helena was much taller, so she leaned to get lower. 

“I want to be with you,” Helena said. “I don’t want you to go anywhere. I don’t want to lose you. That’s what marriage means, right?”

Dinah nodded. “Were your parents in love?” she asked, sounding dreamy, as she pushed Helena’s hair off her forehead. 

Helena thought about that. And yes, she quickly realized, they were. They were always together. They were always wonderful together. They were always showing love. They even matched their clothes, like how Helena chose a suit to perfectly match Dinah’s dress for this evening. 

She finally nodded. “They were.”

“I’ve never seen two people in love. And yet...I still know that marriage is what I want with you. I’ll stop saying shit about getting married.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to marry you,” Helena said. “It’s just...terrifying.”

“I know,” Dinah said, rubbing Helena’s arm. “Let me just say one more thing.”

Helena put an arm around Dinah’s waist as Dinah stepped closer to Helena, putting an arm around Helena’s neck. 

“Wouldn’t it be fun...” she said, almost seductively, “To spend time with your wife? Have dates with your wife? Wake up next to your wife?” She got close to Helena, as close as possible, her voice lowered into almost a whisper. “Fuck your wife?”

That sounded...awesome. 

Saying ‘wife’ was shorter than saying ‘girlfriend’ anyway. And she wasn’t in high school. Saying ‘girlfriend’ forever was probably going to start sounding super lame soon.

“That doesn’t sound awful,” Helena said. 

“Gee, thanks.”

Helena chuckled. “Let me just...figure it out, okay?”

By ‘figure it out’, she absolutely knew in her heart that she meant, ‘Search far and wide for the best ring I can’. 

Dinah leaned in to kiss her, but paused. “Want some color?”

Helena, who had opted to wear a subtle pink lipstick as opposed to Dinah’s dark red, knew what she meant. 

Helena nodded, then Dinah instantly leaned in and gave her a hard kiss on the lips. Helena didn’t want to smudge Dinah’s perfect makeup too much, so she didn’t take it any further. 

Helena held her tight, though, probably wrinkling her dress. Dinah didn’t seem to mind. 

Finally, Dinah pulled away first. She grinned and said, “Alright, that’s enough. You’re holding us up.”

“I am?!” Helena cried as Dinah stepped away from her to go to the passenger side. 

Helena began pulling the roof of the car up. “I’m holding us up? You’re the one who kissed me.”

“Because you were desperate for it,” Dinah joked, “Getting all sappy about marriage and shit.”

Helena smiled. “Yeah. I’m the one desperate, both for you and to have a ring on my finger.”

“Hey,” Dinah said when they secured the roof to the windshield. “If you like it, you should put a ring on it.”

“That’s a song right?” Helena asked. 

“Alright, you’ve been in the real world long enough. Not knowing who Beyoncé is isn’t cute anymore.”

Helena knew Dinah was joking, so she laughed. They climbed into the car. 

Helena checked her watch. She didn’t care any more that they were much later than she wanted to be. She was happy. 

With her future wife. 


	36. Exhausted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “She and I were—she told me not to tell you.”
> 
> Have you ever googled sex euphemisms? Now I can say I have.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Helena was exhausted. She hadn’t been so tired in a long time. All of her crime fighting didn’t even make her so tired, because she was in really good shape and health, always eating right and sleeping the appropriate amount of hours each night.

But that was the problem.

She wasn’t sleeping much anymore.

Not when he bedmate had much better ideas. 

Not that Helena was complaining, either. She would so much rather stay up all night satisfying her newly found libido than sleeping. Since she figured sex was for bedtime, she was usually ready to go to bed as soon as the sun went down. 

For the most part, she was doing well at not dragging Dinah to bed at 5 P.M. But dear god, she was just getting used to Dinah and wanted her all. the. time.

Plus, Helena started to figure that the earlier they got to fucking for the night, the earlier they got to sleep, and the less exhausted Helena could function during the day. It was a good plan. 

But Dinah usually made her wait. Dinah usually liked to tease. Dinah, who told Helena she’d been having sex since high school, was able to control the thirst. Helena was not so lucky. 

And she was so damn tired. 

Helena yawned for the hundredth time during the meeting. It wasn’t much of a meeting; the women—Helena, Dinah, Renee, and even Harley—were all sitting around having brunch while discussing a tip Harley had on some bad guys coming through Gotham. She didn’t always try to help, but she was trying to be better. For the kid’s sake. She was even trying when Cass wasn’t around, like now, when Cass was at school and Harley offered brunch—with Helena’s stolen credit card, but still. 

“Jesus, Killer, you alright?” Harley asked, sipping her Prosecco. 

That confused Helena. Day drinking was fine but sex generally waited until the evening? Alright...

“Just tired,” Helena muttered, drinking her own Prosecco. 

“Didn’t get much sleep last night?” Renee asked next, sounding, maybe, concerned? Helena wasn’t sure. 

“Not really,” Helena answered, “Dinah and I were—“ She paused abruptly, feeling Dinah’s eyes on her, practically boring holes into her head. 

Harley glanced between them quickly. “Were what?” she asked, almost gleefully. 

Helena delicately put her glass down. “Dinah told me not to tell you.”

“Oh my god!” Harley squealed. “Canary, you finally did it?! You finally popped the goth’s cherry?!”

“Oh my god,” Renee sighed.

“I don’t kiss and tell,” Dinah said smoothly, but then she looked at Helena again and kicked her thigh. “And I told you not to either.”

“I’m sorry!” Helena cried. “I’m tired!”

“Maybe a little less hanky-panky,” Harley said playfully. “Little less knockin’ boots, Huntress. Sleep is good for the soul, you know.”

“I don’t want to do it any less,” Helena said, assuming fully that ‘hanky-lanky’ and ‘knockin’ boots’ meant sex. “But...since sex is a night thing—“

Dinah literally facepalmed. “Stop talking,” she said. 

Harley laughed loudly. Renee just had an ‘oh my god’ look on her face. 

“Sex isn’t just a night thing,” Harley said, still laughing. “It’s not like the pussies only work when the sun goes down!”

Helena knew, knew, it was the Prosecco talking. And that exhaustion. And the fact that Dinah smelled really fucking good and looked incredible in her tight pants and freakin’ bralette that she thought was appropriate attire. The fact that Helena wanted to dip her tongue into Dinah’s belly button. The fact that Helena wanted to pull Dinah’s hair as she—

So, Helena didn’t have an ounce of self-control stop herself from asking, “We could be having sex right now?”

Harley reached over and put a hand high up on Helena’s thigh. “Do you want to?” she asked with a wink.

Dinah finally dropped her hand from covering her face. “Remove your hand before I remove it for you,” she warned. 

Harley held up both hands in surrender. “You’re the one not keeping your girl satisfied, Canary.”

“Oh,” Helena muttered, “No, I’m...I’m plenty satisfied. By Dinah.”

Harley sat back in her chair. “Yeah, your yawns sure sound like it,” she said, grinning. 

Helena looked at Dinah. “Can we go home?” she asked, hopeful. 

“We’re having a meeting!” Renee cried. 

Helena got up. She didn’t even care that the two other women knew she was going to take Dinah home for sex in the middle of the day. They were all adults. Renee usually announced when Ellen texted her for a ‘booty-call’, as Helena had learned was a code for sex. God knows they knew every time Harley got laid. It was only fair Helena had something to offer to the friendship. 

“Text us, I guess,” Dinah said, getting up to follow Helena. 

“Hey!” Renee stopped them before they got to the door. 

Helena and Dinah turned around. Helena thought she was going to tell them to sit their asses back down, that they weren’t done, that they needed to—

“Congratulations,” was all Renee said. 

“Yeah!” Harley agreed. “Congratulations on the sex!”

Renee glared at her. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh please,” Harley said, “You know Canary’s wanted to climb Crossbow like a tree since the moment she laid eyes on her.”

Helena’s gaze instantly darted to Dinah. 

“That’s bullshit,” Dinah argued.

“We all saw the look on your face when she rode that dude down the slide while stabbing his neck!” Harley replied. She turned to Renee. “You saw it!”

“I was focusing on not dying,” Renee said. 

“Ah, whatever!” Harley said. “It’s about time you two stuffed the taco, anyway.”

“Could you stop?” Dinah said. She grabbed Helena’s hand. “Let’s go, baby.”

“Baby!” Harley cried, nearly falling over in her chair. “It’s love!”

“Now we’re not leaving for sex,” Dinah said. 

“We’re not?” Helena asked, sad. 

“We’re leaving to get away from this clown.”

Harley was still laughing. “Have fun sweepin’ the chimney, Canary.”

Dinah was pulling Helena out of the room. 

Once they were out of the room and exiting the warehouse, and Helena was still thinking about Harley’s words, she stopped Dinah as they were almost to the car. 

“Dinah?” Helena said, so confused. “We...don’t have a chimney.”

“Oh my god,” Dinah said, grabbing Helena and pulling her into a deep, deep kiss. 

Helena gladly kissed back, still thinking about it. Did Harley mean sex? Why would...

...oh...

Helena broke away from Dinah. “I get it.”

Dinah shook her head. “Why is your cluelessness such a turn on? Let’s go home.”

“For sex?”

“If you play your cards right,” Dinah said playfully, kissing Helena again. Softer this time. Quick, nice and simple. 

Loving. 

Dinah left Helena quickly to get in the drivers side of the car. Helena rushed into the passenger seat, excited for the prospect of having Dinah all to herself for the rest of the day. 


	37. Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Stop making that face. I won’t be held accountable for my actions.” “This face?”
> 
> I didn’t want to bring up the current world situation in the stories but this idea popped into my head and seemed so funny.
> 
> Also! Secret reference to another film. Which is my favorite movie. Let me know if you spot it... 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

“Please?”

Dinah sighed. “No.”

“Please?”

Dinah shook her head. “No.”

Helena shifted closer to Dinah. “Please?!” she tried again. 

Dinah threw her magazine on her lap. “No!”

When she finally looked up, she saw Helena sitting extremely close to her with most of her hair pushed from the back of her head over her face. 

Dinah let out a laugh. “It’s not that bad.”

Helena shook her hair out of her face. “Are you kidding? Look at this. I’m like a...I don’t know. Something with shaggy hair.”

Helena’s hair wasn’t that long. It was a little past her shoulders. It had been months since she’d been able to get a hair cut, since she had one planned for exactly a week after quarantine began, and now it was four months later and it was too long for her liking. 

And Dinah was NOT going to cut it. No fucking way. That was recipe for disaster. 

First of all, Dinah joked that she “couldn’t do anything straight”, as a bisexual. She wouldn’t be able to cut Helena’s hair in a straight line. To which Helena answered that it was just hair, it was fine. But Dinah didn’t trust herself to not make Helena look like her head was chewed up and spit out by a lawnmower. 

Second, Dinah thought Helena’s growing hair was cute. And she liked having a little more to hold onto. She didn’t care that Helena’s hair wasn’t clean cut like the hair’s owner did. 

Dinah looked at her girlfriend. Helena gave her the biggest, most puppy-dog eyes she could. 

“Stop it,” Dinah warned. 

“Stop what?” Helena asked, her eyes impossibly wider. 

“Stop with those eyes.”

“These eyes?” Helena asked. 

Dinah laughed. “Stop! Or I won’t be held accountable for my actions.”

Helena leaned back a little bit, but still made her eyes big and pleading. “Why? What do I make you want to do?”

“Your sad little face makes me want to...” Dinah sucked in a breath. “See those eyes between my thighs.”

Helena chuckled. “My sad face makes you want to fuck me?”

“It’s those goddamn eyes!”

Helena stopped laughing and made her eyes wide again. 

Dinah quickly jumped up and straddled Helena’s thighs. She kissed Helena hard, sucking Helena’s tongue into her mouth and digging her fingers into Helena’s hair. She pulled gently and Helena moaned. 

When they were out of breath, Helena’s head fell back against the couch. Dinah kept playing with her hair. 

“If you cut my hair, I’ll let you ride my face.”

Dinah laughed. “That’s sexual exploitation.”

“It’s doing a favor for a buddy, and getting a favor in return.”

“You’re the best buddy I’ve ever had,” Dinah joked. 

Dinah sat back on Helena’sthighs. She pulled the ends of Helena’s hair between her fingers.

“You’re serious about me cutting it?” Dinah asked, skeptical. 

“Yes! I can feel it on my shoulder. It’s driving me nuts.”

Dinah sighed. “Go get some scissors.”

Helena practically threw Dinah off her lap, jumping up off the couch eagerly. 

Dinah set Helena up in the kitchen on a stool from the island. She got a towel and wrapped it around Helena’s shoulders, then had Helena put her head under the kitchen tap to wet it. 

Dinah was so nervous. Helena brought her a giant pair of scissors that she had for some reason, which were sharp and daunting to look at. Dinah thought she was going to die of nerves if she didn’t accidentally chop off a finger first. 

“Just cut it anywhere. I don’t care how short.”

“I care! I have to look at you.”

Helena laughed. “I’ve had super short hair before. My uncles said it was too boyish, but I thought it was fine.”

Dinah thought about Helena with a cute pixie cut or undercut shaved sides. “That sounds...kinda sexy.”

“Want some clippers?” 

“Oh fuck no, this is fine. A trim it is.”

Helena wiggled on her stool to get comfortable.

“Don’t move!” Dinah demanded. 

Helena laughed. “Look, if it’s going to stress you out so much, I can try to do it myself.”

“Oh lord, no. Just give me a second.”

Dinah stuck her tongue between her teeth to examine her canvas. She stepped around Helena, staring and studying, measuring and comparing the entire perimeter of her hair. 

When Dinah stepped in front of her, Helena playfully grabbed her hips to pull her between her thighs.

Dinah slapped her hands off her hips. “I’m trying to concentrate.”

Helena kissed her cheek before Dinah could step away again. 

“Should I part it down the middle?” Dinah asked, moving Helena’s hair. 

“Why?” Helena questioned, sweeping it back to the side. 

“Isn’t that how you cut hair?”

“That’s not how it parts, it shouldn’t matter.”

“But I saw a video where—“

“Just leave it!” Helena snapped. 

Dinah looked surprised. “I’m sorry, am I doing something for you and you’re yelling at me?”

Helena wasn’t really yelling, Dinah knew that. Still, Helena looked upset at herself. “I’m sorry, you’re right. You’re the best girlfriend ever.”

Dinah kissed her nose. “Damn right.”

She finished her inspection and measuring of Helena’s hair. Finally, she stepped to the back of Helena’s head again and lifted the first chunk she was going to cut. 

Dinah was shaking. She settled the thick strands between her fingers and slowly snipped. 

“No turning back now!” Helena practically cheered, wiggling in her seat. 

“Ugh, stop!” Dinah told her. “You’re making me crazy.”

Dinah let the hair drop to the floor and picked up the next chunk. She measured it next to the already cut piece and chopped. 

Dinah practically stopped breathing as she cut Helena’s hair in a straight line straight across. It was maybe three inches, which she was freaking out was too short, even though it looked the length Helena’s hair was the first time they met. 

It was beginning to dry, so it was beginning to wave again and shrink. It was shorter than when wet and combed straight. Dinah felt a panic rush through her. 

“Uh...” she sighed. 

“Hmm?” Helena asked. “Just make sure it’s even.”

“I think it’s even...” Dinah said. “It’s just...”

“What?” Helena asked. 

“Just short.”

Helena ran her fingers through it, stopping much further up than just minutes ago. 

“It feels so much better,” Helena reassured Dinah. 

“Really? You sure?”

“Yes, it feels awesome. Does it look okay?”

Dinah swept hair off her shirt and stepped in front of Helena. She inspected her work. 

“It looks okay,” Dinah said. “Back to normal, I guess.”

Helena smiled. “Cool. Thanks, babe.” She grabbed Dinah and gave her a kiss. 

Dinah didn’t feel too much like a failure, even when she looked at the mess of hair all over the kitchen floor. It was a lot. Oops. 

Helena took the towel off from around her shoulders. “I need a shower,” she announced. “Join?”

“I already took one—ahh!” Dinah squealed when Helena, without warning, wrapped her arms around her hips and lifted her up. Dinah had no choice but to wrap her legs around Helena’s hips. 

“You sure?” Helena asked. 

Heat rushed through Dinah. Fuck, when would her girlfriend stop being so hot?

“Fine,” Dinah agreed. “I’m convinced.”

Helena smirked in triumph as she carried Dinah to Dinah’s room, which was closer. She went straight to the bathroom and kicked the door shut. 

Helena set Dinah down on the edge of the countertop and delicately pulled her shirt off, clearly careful not to drop stray hairs everywhere. Dinah followed suit and took her shirt off too. 

Helena embraced Dinah again, wrapping one arm around Dinah’s waist and one reaching for the button of her jeans. At the same time, Helena went in to kiss Dinah’s neck. 

Suddenly, Helena cried, “Oh fuck, what did you do!” 

Dinah jumped. “What?! I didn’t—“

Helena laughed. “I’m just kidding.”

Dinah smacked her arm. “Asshole.”

Helena laughed harder. “I told you, however it turned out would be fine.”

“I didn’t want to fuck it up.”

Helena looked around Dinah to examine herself in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked pleased. 

“It’s really fine. It’s great. It feels so much better.”

Dinah put her hands on Helena’s bare sides. “You sure?”

Helena grabbed Dinah’s face. “Yes,” she said, before leaning in and kissing Dinah. 

They finished undressing, then got into the shower. They kissed and laughed under the spray, pressing each other against the tiles to kiss every few minutes. Dinah loved the feel of Helena’s shorter hair in her fingers, so she washed her hair and watched appreciatively as the suds washed down Helena’s body. 

When Helena rinsed her hair, she shook her head so her hair slapped Dinah with droplets. Dinah laughed and grabbed her head to stop her with more kisses. 

When they got out, and got dressed again, Dinah practiced putting Helena’s hair in tiny braids. 

“Maybe,” Dinah said much later, combing fingers through Helena’s damp hair. “It would look good shorter.”

“I’ll order some clippers,” Helena said. 

“Oh no. We’re waiting until the salons open.”

Helena laughed. “I trust you. You can do whatever you want to it.”

Dinah kissed her temple. She grew a wicked idea. “Have you ever had blue hair?”

Helena just laughed. 


	38. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: (Person A) shows up at (Person B)‘s door after being assaulted.
> 
> Warning for the assault. 
> 
> Pre-relationship. Helena is trying.
> 
> Oh, and everyone’s favorite: bed-sharing!

Helena’s had friends for, oh...two weeks.

She still wasn’t really sure what to do with a friend. Feed it? Water it? Talk to it? Helena was not so good with any of it. 

Helena really wanted to be a good friend. She really wanted to be someone Dinah...her friends...wanted to be around. She really wanted to be a good person to hang out with, a generous person and a fun person. 

Helena was not good at any of it. She was not fun. She was not always nice. She was not patient. She was hot headed and didn’t always know what to say, and she definitely didn’t know how to joke. 

Everything was so weird. 

But she was learning about what friends can do, as adults. Friends can go to bars, friends can play pool. Friends can have dinner and hang out and sometimes they even kick ass together. 

Friends also protected each other. Helena was good at that already. Already, in the few weeks she’d had the Birds, she was good at punching a guy if they attacked Dinah or Renee. She was good at chasing guys who shot at them and ran away. She was good at taking an arrow to whoever was trying to hurt one of the other women. 

Helena was getting good at being a friend. 

Being a friend also meant giving your friends space and not following them around because you had no other plans in your life, so when Dinah said she was going to try out a different club to sing at, Helena didn’t follow to go with her. She knew work was something someone usually did alone. 

So, Dinah went to the club and Helena sat in her lonely, empty apartment. 

Helena went to bed around eleven. She tossed and turned under her blanket for almost an hour until there was a sudden buzz to her apartment’s ringer. 

Confused and instantly alert, Helena climbed out of bed and reached underneath for her bow. She loaded a dart and exited the room. 

She slowly went to the buzzing ringer. She clicked the intercom to answer. 

“Hello?” she nervously asked. 

“Helena, it’s me...” It was Dinah. She sounded a little cracked, a little broken. “Can I come up?”

Helena clicked the lock instantly. She quickly put her bow on the island and returned to wait by the door. Dinah didn’t sound right, and that made Helena nervous. Was she okay? Did the club not go well?

Dinah knocked on the door in a minute. Helena quickly answered, and when she did she saw why Dinah sounded so low.

Dinah had a forming black eye on the left side. Her cheek was swollen. 

Helena gasped. “Canary? The hell?” She ushered Dinah in quickly. “What happened?”

Helena didn’t have stools at the island, so she helped Dinah to sit on the countertop. Helena went to the freezer for an ice pack that she always had on hand. 

Ice packs were often more useful than chairs.

Dinah looked sad. Smaller. Not like the boisterous Black Canary that she saw during fights or on stage. She was curled in on herself, arms crossed over her chest, and she was shaking slightly. 

Helena handed her the ice. 

“Thanks,” Dinah said, wincing as she put it to her face. 

“Tell me what happened,” Helena said, almost pleading. 

Someone hurt Dinah. Like a lion, she was ready to pounce. 

Dinah cleared her throat. “I, uh...I sang, and I thought I did pretty well, then...uh, the owner, he...he told me he’d only hire me under one condition.”

Helena’s heart spiked and blood boiled. “He said what?!”

“He uh...” Dinah moved her arms. Her blouse was ripped. “I pushed him after he...touched me...and then he punched me.”

Helena sucked in an angry breath. There was no fucking way she was going to let someone get away with hurting Dinah. Hurting Dinah twice. 

Helena picked up her bow. 

Dinah grabbed her arm. “Hey, no. Nope. You can’t just go kill someone—“

“He hurt you.”

“People get hurt.”

“I don’t want you hurt.”

Dinah stared at her, but Helena held her gaze. 

“I can’t let you do that,” Dinah finally said. 

Helena didn’t really need permission. Chances are he’d done it or, god forbid, worse to other women. He deserved to pay. 

“Can I crash here?” Dinah asked, distracting Helena from the daydream of murdering some dude. “I’ll sleep on the couch, just if you have a shirt or something—“

Helena nodded. “Take my bed.”

“What? No, I can’t. I’ll just go home—“

Helena put a hand on Dinah’s thigh. “You’re staying.” She knew how worked up Dinah was. Canary didn’t scare easily. It was a lot for her to be shaking. 

Dinah nodded. 

Helena took Dinah’s hand and lowered the ice pack. The bruise was forming nicely, and it just made Helena all the more angry. 

Nobody hurt Dinah. 

“Let me get you something to wear,” Helena said before she left Dinah in the kitchen. 

When she returned, Dinah was thankful for the pajamas. Helena led her to the spare bathroom and let her get ready for sleep while she made room for Dinah in her bed. It really was big enough for both of them, and Dinah was her friend so she wanted to take care of her. She thought maybe Dinah would feel better sleeping protected for the night. She thought she could help Dinah feel better. 

Dinah returned to Helena’s bedroom looking awfully cute in Helena’s pajamas. 

Helena didn’t say that. 

“I made room for you, right there, next to me,” Helena said awkwardly. “Unless, uh...unless that makes you uncomfortable, then I can sleep in the living room, or on the floor, or—“

“Or what, sleep upside down like a vampire? No, here’s good. Right next to me.”

Helena nodded in agreement. Her thoughts exactly. 

Dinah climbed into the bed and got under the deep purple sheet. 

“Soft,” she commented. 

“Mmm,” Helena agreed. The sheets were the most expensive thing in the apartment at present. 

“You sure this is okay?” Dinah asked because Helena must’ve looked like a stiff weirdo climbing into bed. 

“Yeah? You said—“

“No, I know I’m okay with sharing a bed with you,” Dinah said. “Are you okay with it? Because I really can just go home. I...I’ll be okay.”

“I want you to stay with me,” Helena said. “That way I know you’re safe.”

Dinah smiled. “Gah, killer.”

Helena gave a small smile back. 

She was fuckin’ nailing this friend shit. 

Helena realized maybe she should further be a good host, so she sat up suddenly. 

“I’m gonna grab some Tylenol,” she announced, “So you can take it and won’t wake up hurting later.”

Dinah was still smiling. “You’re too good.”

Helena hoped she was. She quickly got out of bed and went back to the kitchen, where amongst nothing else she did have a fully stocked medicine and first aid cabinet. She grabbed Dinah two pills, a bottle of water, then returned to the bedroom. 

Dinah was already asleep. And Helena didn’t even get to say goodnight. 

So, Helena set the pills and water on Dinah’s bedside table. The poor girl was so out already that she was already breathing hard. Helena knew Dinah wasn’t going to wake up, and her idea would be quick. 

Helena sat on the floor by her bed, as to not disturb Dinah, and researched the bar where Dinah played. She found the owner and his address in ten quick minutes. The man lived alone, thankfully, because what Helena was planning wasn’t going to be pretty. 

Helena quickly got on her normal Huntress clothes and grabbed extra darts for the bow, then left Dinah asleep in her bed. 

Helena rode to the guy’s house in twenty minutes. She mentally rehearsed what she wanted to say, having a script perfectly memorized when she pulled up and parked her bike behind his shed. 

Getting into his house was too easy. It was dark and quiet, and Helena slipped through effortlessly. The house was a minimalist bachelor pad, so there was a predictable layout of furniture and nothing to trip over in the dark. It was all so easy. 

She got to his bedroom and creeped in. The man was snoring on his bed, and Helena found it all perfect. 

Helena began by throwing the asshole out of his bed to wake him up. He screamed as she did it, as she pounced on him and held his neck. 

“What the fuck?!” he yelled, or tried to, since Helena’s thumb was pushing perfectly on his airway. 

“Listen carefully,” Helena said, her voice purposefully deep and menacing. “You ever lay a hand on any woman ever again, you remember that this moment will never happen again. Tonight, I spare your life. Next time, I’ll fucking kill you. Do you understand?”

“Who the fuck are you?!” he yelled. 

Helena took the knife from her clip and scratched a gash into his chest. Not enough to need stitches. Just enough to bleed a lot. He screamed. 

“That wasn’t an answer,” she said. “I asked if you understand.”

“You fucking—“ 

He tried to push Helena, but she anticipated his arm and grabbed it, then the other, before pushing both into his bleeding chest. 

“Fuck! Fuck!” he yelled. 

“I asked if you understand that if you hurt another woman I will kill you. Do you?” Helena pushed his arms into his chest. 

He screamed. Wimp. 

“Fine, you fucking bitch!”

Helena wanted to stab him, a little harder, maybe a small wound, but she didn’t. She only left one gash, hopefully as a reminder of the fucking bitch who did it to him. 

She climbed off the guy. He didn’t make a move to fight back, which was probably wise because she was so ready to fight him. Instead, he stayed on the ground while she calmly walked out of his bedroom. She exited the house the same was she came, got on her bike, and left. 

The was back at her apartment in less than an hour. She hid her bow under her bed, scrubbed and disinfected her knife, then removed her outfit and replaced it in her closet. She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth before joining Dinah in her bed. 

Helena slid under her blanket comically slowly as to not disturb the other woman. But Dinah must’ve sensed the displaced weight shifting, because she sighed and squirmed. 

Helena held her breath. Dinah swallowed and Helena knew she was at least a little bit awake. 

“Hmm...” Dinah sighed. “You there?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” Helena whispered. “I’m here.”

“Good,” Dinah said, calming again. “Don’t leave me.”

Helena turned onto her side to face Dinah. “I won’t.”

She knew she wouldn’t. Not ever. Now that she had a best friend, she sure as hell wasn’t going to lose her. 


	39. Yoga

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: (Person A) is too distracted to do yoga.
> 
> Warning: Smut
> 
> Poor uses of yoga terms.
> 
> And hey, if anyone ever has any prompts let me know!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Helena didn’t want to do this. She thought it was stupid. But she was a sucker for literally anything Dinah said, so when Dinah asked her to join her for yoga, Helena really had no choice but to agree.

Well, she did have a choice. But she had no backbone and still hadn’t found a way to say no to Dinah. 

So, Helena found herself sitting cross legged in the floor of the living room, on top of a yoga mat across from Dinah. 

Dinah looked at peace. Her eyes were closed, and there was a subtle rise and fall of her chest with every calmed breath. 

Her chest. 

Helena was stuck staring. Especially when Dinah decided to do yoga in a high-support sports bra that seemed to push everything up. She had on high waist, extremely fucking tight leggings, too, and boy was that a sight sitting cross legged in front of her. 

“Stop it,” Dinah muttered between breaths. 

“Stop what?” Helena asked.

“Stop staring at me. We’re supposed to be meditating.”

Helena took a deep breath, being purposefully annoyingly loud. 

“Stop it.”

“I’m breathing.”

“Breathe calmer. Like this...” Dinah demonstrated, her chest rising and falling enticingly. 

“Show me again,” Helena said. 

“No,” Dinah replied, “Fucking perv.”

“Wear a shirt.”

“Have self control. Yoga and meditation is about self control.”

“I have plenty of self control.”

“You’ll feel better if you meditate. It’ll help you relax.”

“I don’t need to meditate, I go to therapy.”

Dinah’s eyes peaked open. “You’re so fucking annoying, you know that?”

“You love me.”

Dinah’s eyes shut again. “For some reason.”

Helena chuckled. She knew Dinah was kidding, of course. 

They were silent for about five more minutes before Dinah slowly stood up.

“Now for the yoga,” she told Helena.

Helena sighed and stood, too. 

“Put your palms out like this and just breathe for a minute,” Dinah instructed. 

“I thought we already breathed.”

“Just fucking breathe.”

Helena finally did as she was told. She didn’t close her eyes like Dinah was though, she just kept staring at the other woman. 

“We’ll start with an easy one,” Dinah said next. “Spread your legs like this.” She moved her legs to be more that shoulder width apart. “And just stretch,” she added, leaning to one side. 

Helena did as instructed, and it was easy. Stretching felt good, so she didn’t mind it. 

Dinah did a few more easy stretches and balance poses, like the tree pose and the warrior pose. They did about five more before Dinah instructed Helena to sit down on the mat.

Dinah got on her knees, so Helena did the same. 

“Now,” Dinah said, “We’re going to stretch our backs. First, I want you to put your hands flat on the mat.” Dinah moved to be on all fours. 

Helena knew Dinah was taking this seriously. She knew she should have been trying too, but when Dinah bent her back and had her ass in the air, Helena could think of literally nothing. She couldn’t have made her body move if she tried. She just watched Dinah as Dinah moved from the cow pose, to the cat pose, to the downward dog. 

Helena thought maybe watching Dinah do yoga was like meditation. No thoughts in her head—okay, she had some super dirty thoughts—and trying to keep her breathing even. 

Dinah lifted a leg off the mat while she was in downward dog. The stretch of her really made Helena focus. 

She hadn’t moved in minutes. So she was imagining what it would be like to hold Dinah’s leg up like that while sliding into her...she wondered if Dinah could hold herself up, or if he arms would give out, and how far her leg could stretch and how deep her fingers could—

Helena didn’t notice Dinah was watching her as she switched legs. 

“Want to help?” Dinah asked. 

“Huh?” Helena replied. 

“I can never get this leg as high,” Dinah said. “Come here. Take my ankle and push it up.”

Helena quickly got off the floor. She rushed to stand behind Dinah and grabbed her leg. 

“Like that, baby,” Dinah sighed, and oh fuck Helena realized how wet she was getting. “That’s it, just push up...” Dinah practically moaned and it went straight through Helena like lightning. 

Helena’s hand trailed down Dinah’s leg. She got to Dinah’s thigh before Dinah chuckled. 

“Okay, gently let go.”

Helena was disappointed, but she did as told. She slowly lowered Dinah’s leg until both of her feet were on the ground and she was in downward dog again, her ass right against Helena. 

“You’re doing this on purpose,” Helena accused. 

“Doing what?” Dinah asked innocently before sitting on her knees again. 

“This...the stretching and the ass and the—“ 

Dinah leaned back on the mat until her back was almost touching her feet. She was all stretched out under Helena’s view. 

“I’m not doing anything,” Dinah said with a smirk. 

Helena couldn’t reply. Not while imagining Dinah doing this naked. Maybe Helena could convince her—

Dinah got up again, shifting her body again into the cow pose, her ass pushed up and her back bent down almost at a U-shape. 

Helena finally thought, fuck it, because Dinah must’ve been teasing her on purpose, so she dropped to her knees behind Dinah and grabbed her ass. 

Dinah moaned. “Honey—“

“Hmm?” Helena asked, trailing her hands up Dinah’s back, blunt fingers scratching. 

“I was trying to—“

“Trying to what?” Helena asked, hooking her fingers in Dinah’s leggings and yanking them down. 

Dinah moaned. “Fuck, never mind.”

Helena chose not to tease. She just dove right in, burying her face into Dinah from behind, quickly dipping her tongue into Dinah’s wet heat and piercing her with it. 

This position wasn’t one Helena would usually go to, but for the setting and the reason it was fucking working. Dinah pushed herself back on Helena’s tongue, seeking friction and sighing encouragement as she got what she wanted. 

Helena held on. She held Dinah’s hips tight and squeezed her ass, loving the feel of Dinah pulsing around her and scrambling to hold herself up while reaching back for her. Finally, Dinah fell forward on her arm, burying her face in her own skin as she shouted and came around Helena’s tongue. 

Helena wasn’t done. She hardly gave Dinah a minute to recover before she got up again and buried three fingers in Dinah. She thrust her fingers in and out of Dinah roughly, fucking her as Dinah kept screaming against her arm. 

“Fuck, Helena, baby...” Dinah cried. “Don’t stop, gonna come again, fuck me...”

Helena fell over Dinah’s back, kissing where she could reach. She kissed the side of Dinah’s neck and Dinah pulled her hair, guiding Helena’s face to a spot she loved. Helena sucked on Dinah’s neck and kept moving her fingers, not stopping for a second even when her arm began to burn. 

Helena thrusted roughly through Dinah’s moans of pleasure, Dinah’s encouragement, Dinah’s cries. Within minutes of her first orgasm, Dinah was coming again, shaking in Helena’s arms and crying out in complete ecstasy. 

Helena pulled her fingers out of Dinah slowly, kissed Dinah’s sweaty back once, then fell to the ground next to her. Dinah’s body seemed to give out and she slumped next to Helena. 

“Fuck,” Dinah sighed, trying to steady her breath.

Helena nodded in agreement. 

Dinah climbed over to her. She held Helena’s face as she kissed her, hot and dirty despite her obvious exhaustion. 

“God, I love you,” Dinah said against Helena’s lips. 

“I love you,” Helena agreed. “I don’t know how much company I’ll be doing yoga with you, but I will gladly watch any time.”

“I’d never get anything done.”

“And that’s bad because...”

Dinah laughed. “Because I like it.”

“Fucking or yoga?”

Dinah kissed Helena. “Both.”

Helena laughed. “Fine, we can try it again.”

Dinah grinned. “Fucking or yoga?”

Helena smiled back. “Both.”


	40. Pictures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real prompt. Just Helena having zero chill.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Dinah loved their apartment. It was spacious enough that they both had plenty of room to spread out and not overlap each other constantly. They even still had their own bedrooms. God knows having two closets and bathrooms was a gift. Their apartment was perfect for the two of them. 

Most of the decor was thanks to Dinah. Helena provided the furniture, but it was Dinah’s really cool painting hanging in the dining area. It was Dinah’s lamp on the side-table, Dinah’s books on the shelf, and Dinah’s knickknacks scattered sporadically through the house. 

Helena didn’t mind, because she had nothing to offer when she moved in. She had hardly anything to her name. Nobody hung weapons in the living room. Well, some people did, but it was probably frowned upon for Helena to hang her murder weapons everywhere. 

Dinah looked around their living room one evening and realized what was missing: photos. Most people had photos in their homes for themselves and their loved ones. Dinah’s mother had a ton of photos of them together in their apartment. And in her and Helena’s? None. 

She knew the photos existed. Helena was surprisingly fascinated by her phone, and she was always taking pictures of Dinah. She was creative and had a good eye for catching Dinah at the right moment, in the right light, with the right look. Her photos of Dinah were incredible, but Dinah liked the stupid selfies she took of both of them more. 

So, Dinah knew Helena had plenty of photos to choose from when she gave Helena the task of printing some out to hang in the apartment. 

“Just a few,” Dinah said. She picked up Helena’s phone and opened the photos. “Like this one...or this one...or this one...”

Dinah liked all the pictures. “Damn, I look good in this one,” she said, picking one of herself at the bar, doing nothing special but smiling. 

“You look amazing in all of them,” Helena said, not really watching what Dinah was talking about.

Dinah came to a photo of her sleeping. She was naked, but the comforter was up to her chest. She was on her back, her hair fanned out all across her pillow, and she looked, almost majestic. 

“You’re a creep,” she told Helena. 

Helena finally looked over. “Hey, I like that one. You look so peaceful.”

“You’re so weird,” Dinah said. 

Helena shrugged. “So, what do you want me to do?”

“Print some photos of us, get some nice frames. Just a few. Hang ‘em up around here.”

Helena nodded. “Like, how many?”

“A few. You decide.”

Helena nodded. “Okay...”

Dinah kissed her cheek. “I have complete faith in you.”

Helena smiled. “Alright.”

That night, Dinah noticed Helena was scrolling through her photos. She was excited for Helena to put photos up. 

* * *

  
Helena was confused at first to why Dinah wanted photos up in their apartment. With their phones, they had pictures with them at all times. They could just open their phone and see each other. 

But then, Helena realized that pictures in a house was something extremely basic that she should have realized. Pictures were homey. Pictures showed you loved someone. 

Helena remembered her house when she was very little. Their living room had a giant family portrait over the fireplace that was updated every year. Her father’s office had pictures of her and her brother on the desk. Even the kitchen had pictures of her and her brother. It was a family home. 

She wanted pictures of her and Dinah out for guests to see. Not that they had many guests. Still, Dinah did ask, and she did have the photos to print. 

While Dinah went to the bar to help Annie move things around the next day, Helena went to the nearest pharmacy to print pictures in an instant photo machine. She had a ton of pictures to choose from, and she thought she’d choose the right ones when she got to the machine. 

And then Helena got very flustered. First of all, the machine was extremely confusing. She had to hook her phone to the machine’s own private WiFi, but it wasn’t connecting right and getting frustrating. Helena slapped the computer screen, so a worker wandered over to help. 

That was the second part of the day. 

“Hey,” the worker said sweetly as she went to Helena. She had a big smile on her face, which Helena found kind of creepy. “Can I help you?”

“Uh...yeah. I can’t figure this out.”

“Oh, I know, it’s tricky for many people. Here, can I?” she held her hand out for Helena’s phone. Helena handed it over, and the girl’s fingers brushed Helena’s hand for way too long. Then, she shifted closer and closer to Helena as she fiddled with it, trying to make weird small talk with Helena the whole time. 

“What kind of pictures are you printing?” 

“Some of my girlfriend and I.”

“Oh?” she asked. “How long have you been with her?”

“About a year.”

“A year, huh? Long time.”

“Yeah,” Helena agreed. 

“You guys serious?” the girl asked next. She looked down Helena’s body, checking her out. Helena only knew that’s what she was doing because Dinah often gave her the same look. 

“Yes,” Helena said, stepping backwards. 

“Too bad,” the girl said. She held up Helena’s phone. “Can I...put my number in anyway?”

Helena took it back. “No, thanks.”

“You sure?” the worker asked, biting her lip. 

Helena was not effected. “I’m good.”

She sighed. “Alright. If you ever change your mind...”

Helena shook her head. “I won’t.”

The girl shrugged. “See you around.”

Helena wanted to say that was unlikely, but she didn’t. Instead, she focused on the photos to print. 

Which was the third thing that flustered her. She couldn’t decide. Dinah looked fantastic in every single photo. She was gorgeous. Her smile was beautiful, her hair, her skin...everything. Dinah was fucking perfect and Helena was able to capture every moment of it. 

So, Helena printed every photo. 

All 63. 

She printed fifty as 4x6 photos, ten as 5x7, and three photos as 8x10. She spent $60. 

When she took the receipt stub to the cashier, it was the same girl who helped her. Helena frowned but went to the counter. 

“Let’s see,” the girl said. “Oh...sixty-three.”

“Yup.”

The girl visibly deflated. Helena didn’t know if she was disappointed that Helena was extremely in love with her girlfriend or if she was totally creeped out. Either way, she didn’t hit on Helena again before she left with all of her photos. 

She had Dinah’s car, which was good, because then she had to buy picture frames. She went to a craft store and straight to the frames, avoiding anyone who was going to ask if she needed help. Not again. No more people. 

She picked out packages of each size frame, which were supposed to be a deal, but she still spent almost $250. 

Helena didn’t care, of course. The price was nothing compared to the joy of getting to look at Dinah whenever she wanted. Even more than whenever she wanted.

Helena got home and quickly framed all the photos. In an hour, she had them all ready to place. But where to place them?

The answer was: everywhere. Four photos in the kitchen. Two in each bathroom. Three in each bedroom. A dozen in the living room. Six in the dining area. Four on each window sill. One on each shelf. About twenty hung everywhere on the walls. There were so many. 

Helena was proud of her work. Their apartment was even more beautiful than before. 

* * *

Dinah arrived home late in the afternoon. Annie had picked her up and dropped her off, since they had to take Annie’s truck to pick up new furniture for the bar. 

“Hey, honey!” Dinah excitedly called when she walked through the front door. 

“Hey!” Helena called back from her bedroom. 

Dinah stopped her purse on the island, and next to it she noticed a nice framed photo of the two of them. 

“Hey, this picture is nice!” she called to Helena. 

“Which one?”

“What do you mean, which—“

Dinah noticed another photo on the other side of the island. 

And one by the stove.

One by the fridge. 

One by the coffee machine. 

One by the microwave. 

“Jesus Christ...” Dinah sighed. 

Dinah looked around the entire apartment. There were a million photos. Dear god. 

“What the fuck did you do...” Dinah sighed as Helena entered the room. 

“What? You don’t like it?”

Dinah couldn’t help but laugh. A slow chuckle bubbled in her belly, then made it out of her mouth loudly. “Oh my god,” she said, laughing. “You are so fucking strange.”

She took Helena in a hug. Helena instantly hugged back. 

“I couldn’t decide on just one.”

“How many did you choose?”

“Sixty-three.”

Dinah laughed harder. She buried her face in Helena’s shoulder. 

“And the girl at CVS was hitting on me.”

“So you had to show her you’re obsessed with me?!”

Helena shrugged. “Maybe it had something to do with it.”

Dinah laughed and laughed. God, Helena was was so ridiculous. So obliviously funny. So goofy. 

Dinah pulled back and took Helena’s face in her hands. “I love you so much.” She kissed Helena. 

When Dinah let her go, she went through the apartment to check what damage Helena made. Sure enough, there were sixty-three randomly placed photos documenting their love. It was ridiculous. 

It was wonderful. 

Dinah got back to Helena in the kitchen. She rubbed Helena’s back. 

“You’re incredible,” she said. “Thank you for doing this.”

“Of course,” Helena said. 

Dinah kissed her shoulder. “So, what was this about the girl at CVS?”

Helena laughed, then she told Dinah about her weird flirting. Dinah just laughed and joked, and clearly, since Helena loved her this much, it didn’t bother her hearing the story. She just watched Helena talk and felt a ton of love. 


	41. Baby Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “My ovaries exploded.”

“Why do we have to go to this?” Helena asked for the tenth time in less than an hour. 

As per usual, she was ready and sitting comfortably on their bed waiting for Dinah to finish getting ready. So Dinah liked to take her time, sue her. It wasn’t often that she had an actual event to get ready for, and she liked to do her best to look nice. 

“You’re the one who’s Catholic,” Dinah said. “You know more about this stuff than I do.”

The ‘stuff’ was a baby’s baptism for the newborn of Annie and her husband. Since Helena was, in fact, Catholic, they were going to go to the mass and then the get-together afterward. But it wasn’t like Helena was thrilled. 

“It’ll be fun,” Dinah offered again. “You like Annie and James.”

“Well, yeah, but—“

“You like baby Mia.”

Helena sighed. Dinah knew how much she loved that baby. Helena pretty much loved all babies and children. She said that they were easier than adults. They were simple, and more fun. Plus, Dinah knew Helena thought kids were super cute. 

Dinah finished in the bathroom and exited to get dressed. Helena looked cute in a light blue button-up shirt with pink flamingoes on it. Dinah admired her as she went around the bed to the closet. 

“What?” Helena asked. 

“What, what? I can’t just look at you?”

Helena smiled. “I thought I had something on my face or something.”

“Just pure beauty,” Dinah called from the closet. 

Helena laughed. “Okay. Right.”

Dinah picked out a yellow top to wear under a blue blazer. It was a nice spring day and the outfit was perfect for any weather. It was nice enough for church, too. 

She got dressed and left the closet. “How’s this?” she asked. 

“Nice,” Helena said. 

“Just nice?!” Dinah cried. “Cool it, babe.”

Helena laughed. “You know you look incredible. I don’t know why you ask.”

“To bait you into saying something nice.”

Helena stood as Dinah finished slipping her shoes on. She went around the bed and wrapped her arms around Dinah’s waist, pulling her in tight. 

“Thanks for not looking hotter,” she said, “I’d hate to have impure thoughts during church.”

Dinah laughed. “Still not a compliment.”

Helena kissed her cheek. “You are beautiful.”

Dinah smiled. “See? Did that kill you?”

Helena let her go. “I thought when I put a ring on your finger it was built in that I always think you’re beautiful.” 

“You are so annoying,” Dinah said, laughing. She grabbed her giant wedding ring off her bedside table and slipped it on, still partly in disbelief that she even had a wedding ring. 

Then, she stepped at Helena. She grabbed Helena’s left hand with her left hand like she did a lot, as if to connect their wedding rings. 

“Let’s go,” she said, pulling Helena out of the room. 

The baptism was beautiful. Baby Mia was a perfect participant and didn’t cry at all. Dinah knew Annie was blessed with a wonderful baby. Mia was easy and seemed polite already. She was a pleasant baby. 

After mass, they went to Annie’s house. Lunch was spread out in the kitchen and Dinah was glad because she was starving. 

“You could’ve had breakfast if you didn’t take twelve years to get ready,” Helena commented. 

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Again, not all of us are effortlessly beautiful.”

Helena kissed her temple. 

Dinah stroked her hand up Helena’s side. “I love your dorky shirts,” she said. 

“Want to know what this one’s made of?”

Dinah was confused. She looked up at Helena. 

Helena was grinning. “Wife material.”

Dinah groaned. “Oh my god.” 

“What? You don’t like my jokes?”

Dinah kissed her quickly. “I love your jokes.”

Helena looked proud. 

Dinah wanted to kiss her again, but Annie’s husband entered the living room with everyone else and announced lunch was ready. 

Dinah quickly got a plate. Helena hung in the back and Dinah knew she was going to insist she didn’t want anything and then snack off Dinah’s plate. Well, Dinah wasn’t going to let her. Not this time. 

Dinah returned to Helena. Helena, as predicted, took a chip off Dinah’s plate. 

“Son of a bitch!” Dinah cried. 

“Language,” Helena warned. “This is a baptism.”

“Oh, shush. And get your own food.”

“I thought when I put a ring on your finger it was agreed that I could eat your food.”

“You can’t keep using that forever.”

“I thought when I put a ring on your finger—“

“Shut up.”

Helena laughed. She took another chip from Dinah’s plate and ate it, annoyingly crunching it as loud as possible in her mouth. 

Dinah rolled her eyes. 

Everyone at the party was mostly family, and Dinah and Helena didn’t know anyone. Because of this, Annie was near Dinah a lot because they were close friends. 

Midway through a conversation, Annie suddenly grabbed her boobs. 

“Shit, I gotta pump. Hey, come with me.”

Dinah followed.

Helena grabbed her arm. “Don’t leave me alone.”

“Come with us.”

Helena looked surprised. “I’m not going to watch Annie pump.”

“I’m not going to either, I’m just going to keep her company. You weirdo.”

Helena pouted. “I’ll just wait here.”

Dinah kissed her cheek. “You will be fine.”

Then, Dinah followed Annie to her bedroom, knowing full well Helena was not going to be fine. 

Dinah liked hanging out with someone other than Helena, of course. Part of being human was knowing other people, so she was comfortable with Annie, her friend. She sat on Annie’s bed as Annie sat at a rocking chair in the corner and took her boobs out. Dinah looked around the room. 

“Can I just say...” Annie began as the machine was turned on. “Sometimes...fuck, never mind.”

Dinah was confused. “What?”

Annie shook her head. “It’s awful, I can’t say it.”

Dinah was even more confused. “What...?”

Annie sighed. “Sometimes you’re lucky you don’t have psycho fuckin’ in-laws.”

Dinah laughed hard. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“No, and I know that’s awful! ‘Cause her parents are dead! But come on. You met James’ mom. He is such a mama’s boy. I’m so glad I didn’t get a son, too, because he would be attached to the boob right now and always. I’m surprised James isn’t still breast fed.”

Dinah laughed. “Yeah, she seemed tough. That’s how dudes are though, aren’t they? They only woman they ever truly love is their mom?”

“I hope he doesn’t love his mom the same,” Annie said. “Speaking of, guess what we finally get to do soon.”

“Oh?” Dinah asked. She knew the recovery period after having a baby was a long time, like six weeks, but Mia was almost five months old. “It’s been a long time.”

“I think James scared of me.”

Dinah laughed. “Yeah. That’s fair. I would be, too.”

“Speaking of that...” Annie said. “When are you finally going to get yourself a baby?”

Dinah laughed harder. “Oh, hell no. No way.”

“Come on! A little Bertinelli-Lance! It would be so cute!”

“Bitch, our baby would be the cutest. But not in the cards. We agreed a long time ago.”

“Things haven’t changed? You guys aren’t kids anymore. Slow down on the crime fighting. Have a family...”

Dinah shook her head. “Why? To live in the suburbs like you?”

“Have you seen my yard? Yes, please.”

Dinah still laughed. “No. Not for us.”

“It’s fun,” Annie said. “Having this little thing you helped create. Bringing her into the world. Seeing James with her is like...I fall in love all over again, I really do. Every day, an endless loop of wanting him so fucking bad because he gave me that baby. Is that weird?”

“Yes.”

Annie laughed. “You guys should. James’ sister had a really good doctor when her and her wife had their son. Ask her about it.”

Dinah shook her head. “I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, god! I may not have horrible in-laws but you sound as bad as they probably would be!”

Annie laughed. “I have baby fever, what can I say?”

“Where is your baby anyway?”

“I don’t know, she was being passed around. James probably fed her.”

“That’s nice, huh? Pumping so he can help with that.”

“It is. I would’ve liked to breast feed, probably, but she wouldn’t do it. She’s not much a boob kinda girl.”

Dinah laughed. “Well, there’s not much I can teach her, then.”

Annie laughed, too. “There’s still hope. Anyway, let me know if you want me to talk to James’ sister. No pressure. But. Babies.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “I know.”

Annie finished pumping and securing the caps on the bottles while Dinah looked around their bedroom. There were photos on the dresser of their family, and already so many of baby Mia. She was a beautiful baby. 

Dinah only felt a little bit of envy. A little bit of longing. Sharing a child with her wonderful wife could be amazing. Or disastrous. Their lives would change. Everything would change. 

And she didn’t want a baby. Did she?

Dinah followed Annie down the stairs. Annie entered the living room first, then paused to look back at Dinah. 

“Huh?” Dinah asked, stepping into the living room. 

Helena was alone in the living room, sitting on the couch and cradling baby Mia. She was feeding the baby her bottle, and Mia was staring up at her with giant eyes. 

Dinah’s breath caught. Fuck. 

“I think my ovaries just exploded,” she said. 

Annie laughed. “See what I mean?”

Helena looked up at them. She smiled right at Dinah. “She likes me.”

Annie announced that she needed to refrigerate the milk, then left the room. Dinah went to the couch with Helena and Mia. 

“She’s pretty neat, huh?” Helena asked. 

Dinah nodded. “Yeah. How did you end up with her?”

“I offered. James insisted that he could do it, but with everyone outside, I knew in here with her was the safest place to be.”

Dinah nodded again. “You look good with her,” she said awkwardly. 

“Yeah?” Helena asked. “Want a try?”

Dinah shook her head. “No, she’s comfortable with you.”

Dinah lightly touched the baby’s soft arm. 

“She’s soft, huh?” Helena asked. “Baby’s bodies are so weird. They’re, like, squishy.”

“Squishy, yeah,” Dinah laughed. 

“She’s so cute, huh?”

Dinah nodded. 

Helena bit her lip. She looked like she wanted to say something big. 

Dinah just looked at the baby.

“Let’s get one,” Helena said. 

Dinah slightly paused. She stroked the little hairs on Mia’s arm. 

“You say that like we can just run down to a store and pick one out,” Dinah commented.

“We can adopt, though, which is...”

“Don’t say it’s the same.”

Helena chuckled. “Okay, it’s not. But I...” she shrugged. “The more I think about it—“

“I know,” Dinah agreed. 

“It kind of fits.”

“I know.”

“But things would change.”

“I know,” Dinah said again. She looked at Helena. “We’ll talk about it more, okay? Let’s not decide anything right now.”

Helena nodded. “I won’t be upset with whatever you want, I promise. If you say no, it’s no. I understand. We never wanted a baby and now I’m just springing it on you. I won’t do anything you don’t want.”

Dinah trusted her. She trusted that Helena wouldn’t resent her if she said no. She trusted that they could be happy with their life if they were childless forever. 

Helena leaned over and kissed Dinah’s cheek. 

“I love you,” Helena said. 

“I know.”

Helena laughed. “I thought by putting a ring on your finger, I was guaranteed never ending ‘I love you’s’.”

Dinah smiled at her. “I love you.”

Helena leaned over and kissed her lips. 

Dinah happily kissed back. 

They were attached for a second until Annie reentered the room. 

“Please don’t make out in front of my baby.”

Dinah laughed as Helena blushed, then focused on baby Mia once again. 

Dinah couldn’t get over how wonderful Helena looked with the baby in her arms. 

Maybe, she thought. 

Maybe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know what the future holds. I just liked this prompt! 
> 
> This was the first fic I wrote where they’re married. It was fun! What did you guys think? Thank you for reading!


	42. Dancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: they go dancing. And then no real prompt.
> 
> Warnings: smut, probably a little bit of voyeurism.

Helena hated dancing. She was not good at it. It was not fun to her. Everyone crammed in a small space, gross and all over each other? No thanks.

That was until Dinah piled her with drinks and pushed her ass against Helena’s crotch. 

She was already so tipsy that she let Dinah pull her to the poorly lit dance floor. She let Dinah pull her close and wrap her arms around Helena’s neck. Helena could see Dinah over flashing blue lights, but everyone else was a blur. All that mattered was Dinah. 

Helena looked at Dinah through thick eye lashes, as Dinah swayed her hips against Helena. They were close, almost too close on that dance floor, but other people were too. They had to press against each other. Helena had to be so close that she could feel Dinah’s body heat and sweat, Dinah’s breath on Helena’s shoulder or face, Dinah’s arms still wrapped around her. 

They danced. It probably wasn’t very good, but Helena had rhythm. Dinah was skilled with her hips—oh, did Helena know that—a great skill. Helena tried to keep up. Helena had her hands on Dinah’s waist and tried to move the same way Dinah was. 

Dinah didn’t laugh, which Helena was thankful for. Dinah didn’t say she was doing it wrong. Mostly, they were just swaying, but it was that they were connected so intimately was the big thing. 

Helena was getting so hot, both from the bodies around them, the movement, and Dinah grinding against her. Helena thought Dinah was trying to fuck her through her jeans. Was that dancing? Didn’t matter. Dinah felt incredible. Helena’s heart was beating painfully fast and she felt a distant throb between her legs. She wanted Dinah to keep doing what she was doing...in private. 

God, she was hot. 

And then Dinah spun around, pushing her ass against Helena’s crotch again. Helena wanted her so bad. She wanted every inch of Dinah. She wanted her naked, anywhere, in the goddamn bathroom right now for all she cared. 

Oh, that sounded good. Heat pulsed through Helena. Dinah swirled her hips, and Helena pushed into her gently. 

Dinah groaned. She reached behind herself and put her arms around Helena’s neck. They were touching everywhere, Dinah’s back completely against Helena’s chest. She kept moving. Helena’s eyes drifted shut before sweat could fall into them. Her hair was dripping. She was so hot. 

Helena’s hands shifted to Dinah’s stomach, and Dinah seemed to snap out of it. Snap out of nearly fucking on the dance floor. She stepped away from Helena quickly. 

Helena felt like she did wrong, like they were doing something wrong. 

But Dinah didn’t say they were. She fixed Helena with an icy stare and grabbed her hand. 

Silently, Dinah pulled Helena to the restroom. Helena thanked god that they seemed to be sharing a brain right now. She knew exactly what she was going to do. 

Dinah slammed the door shut and locked it. She stepped to Helena, arms open to grab her, but Helena didn’t let her. She turned Dinah so she was facing the sink, facing the giant dirty mirror, and pushed her hips against Dinah. 

Dinah groaned. “Glad I’m not the only one.”

Helena shook her head. “Far from it,” she said, reaching around Dinah to unbutton her jeans. 

“Fuck, I’m so wet for you, baby.”

Helena agreed. But she was worried about Dinah. She could wait. She needed Dinah now. 

She got Dinah’s zipper open and hooked her fingers into her waistband. Without warning, she yanked Dinah’s jeans down to her knees. 

Dinah moaned. “Yeah, baby...”

Helena stood up again, behind Dinah. She moved Dinah’s underwear—a sexy goddamn thong—out of the way and held it with one thumb while licking the fingers of her other hand. 

Dinah spread her legs as much as she could. Helena reached between them and didn’t even tease before pushing two fingers into Dinah. 

“God!” Dinah cried. “Yes, Helena, yes!”

Helena pumped her fingers in and out of Dinah. She watched between them as she touched Dinah, her fingers disappearing into the wet heat she could feel. She was always mesmerized when she was in Dinah, that she could make Dinah feel so good. She loved doing a good job and making Dinah shake and come. 

Dinah was already shaking. She was moaning and babbling. “Baby, baby, fuck, harder honey, fuck—“

Helena’s hand worked hard. She fucked Dinah with all she could, knowing they’d better be quick. Not that Helena wanted it to end. 

Helena trailed her hand up Dinah’s back, then took hold of her shoulder to hold her up straighter. 

Then, Helena tore her eyes away from her view of Dinah’s ass and looked across to the mirror. 

It was a sight. Dinah’s clothes were skewed, her tits trying to pop out of her bralette and her stomach flexing with each push back onto Helena’s fingers. She looked so debauched, so fucking hot, with her underwear still on and Helena buried two knuckles deep in her. 

Helena couldn’t take her eyes off Dinah. She held Dinah up and gave her everything she had. 

“Helena!” Dinah screamed. “Baby, yes!”

“Look at me,” Helena said suddenly. “Watch me fuck you.”

Dinah looked into the mirror, catching Helena’s eyes. Her mouth dropped open to form a silent scream, and Helena felt a gush on her fingers. Dinah came so hard that she didn’t make any noise, and Helena was glad because she was sure if the Canary did let out a cry, they’d be paying for a new mirror in the club’s bathroom. Or worse. 

Dinah’s orgasm seemed to last forever. Helena worked her through it, earning gaps and moans until Dinah’s body eased and slumped forward a little. Helena carefully pulled her fingers out, watching Dinah’s juices stick to her fingers until she sucked them clean. Dinah’s taste was incredible. 

“Can I suck you clean?” Helena asked. 

“God, you’re so fucking dirty,” Dinah said. “Let’s go home.”

Helena nodded, agreeing that home would be a better place to continue. 

Dinah cleaned up while Helena washed up, too. Dinah pulled her pants up while sneaking kisses to Helena’s cheek and jaw. 

Helena knew they weren’t finished for the night. Far from. 

And suddenly she didn’t completely hate dancing. 


	43. Proposal Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, my friends. 
> 
> In two parts.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Helena was so nervous. She was more nervous than she’d ever been in her entire life. 

More than when she left all she knew to live a new and unknown life. Twice. 

More than when she made friends. 

More than when she had feelings for her best friend. 

She was going to propose. 

Helena knew, really, what Dinah’s answer would be. Dinah was practically begging Helena to ask her to marry her. Dinah was not subtle.

Four months ago, out of the clear blue sky, Dinah said, “Do you know my ring size is six?” 

Helena asked why she would need to know that, and then never forgot it. 

Months later, Helena found the perfect ring. It had a yellow pear shaped diamond with a platinum diamond band, and she knew Dinah would love it because she loved yellow and she loved unique things. It was from Tiffany, so it wasn’t as unique as Helena would have preferred, but Helena doubted Dinah was going to run into anyone with the same ring. 

Helena showed it to Renee first. 

“Damn, Crossbow. How much did this cost?” Renee asked. 

Helena shrugged. “Thirty-three thousand.”

Renee slammed the little box shut. “Jesus Christ.”

Helena didn’t care. Her baby deserved more. 

The ring was set, but Helena didn’t know how to ask Dinah. Like when they first got together and every milestone in their relationship, Helena thought and thought and ran scenarios through her head constantly. 

Dinah would say yes though, right? Like, of course she would. Dinah told Helena she wanted to get married. Dinah told Helena before Helena even knew she wanted to. 

But Helena was still nervous. She didn’t quite know why. Their life was perfect, but she was allowed to be nervous. 

Helena still hadn’t worked up the courage to ask three months after buying the ring. She woke up after a long night spent at Dinah’s bar, still wondering what to do. 

Just ask her now, Helena’s brain told her. Eh. She’d probably wait until Dinah was at least conscious. 

Helena needed to get out of bed. She wanted to do something nice, so she decided to get them croissants from their favorite bakery. She kissed Dinah’s bare shoulder, slipped on discarded clothes, and left the apartment. 

There was a florist next door to the bakery, and Helena usually got Dinah flowers when she got baked goods. Just to be nice. She usually got lots of kisses after. 

“Helena!” the florist greeted. He was a sweet old man named Joe who just loved Helena and Dinah. “What brings you by this morning?”

Helena reached into the paper bag of baked goods and pulled out a cheese danish. 

“For you, my good sir.”

She always took Joe a cheese danish, ever since they first met over two years ago and he joked, ‘Where’s my cheese danish?’ She hadn’t forgotten one since. 

Joe brightened as he took it. “Don’t tell Maggie,” he said. Maggie was his wife, and Helena had only met her once. Every time he told her not to tell Maggie, she wanted to say she didn’t even know Maggie. But why ruin a tradition?

“The usual?” Joe asked around a mouthful of cheese danish. 

“Yeah. The brightest you have. Something big. Two dozen.”

“Two dozen?!” Joe cried. “What’d you do?”

Helena grinned. “Nothing. Just being nice.”

Joe shook his head. “I’m going to take romance advice from you. Make Maggie happy.”

Helena chuckled. “Hey, speaking of advice. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Joe said, licking his fingers clean. 

“How did you propose to Maggie?”

Joe smiled. “Are you proposing to Miss Lance?”

Helena smiled back. “Well, I—“

“Makin’ an honest woman outta her!”

Helena laughed. “Or her me. Yeah, I’m going to propose. I just don’t know how.”

“I asked Maggie over dollar beers at a baseball game,” Joe answered. “No romance at the slightest. I just looked at her and asked.”

Helena thought the contrary, that something mundane sounded romantic as hell. 

Joe was wrapping her tulips in paper. “If you want my advice, I’d say to be cool. Clear your head. It seems worse if you’re a nervous wreck.”

That was sound advice. What if Dinah thought Helena was forcing herself to ask? No good. She needed a clear mind.

“Thanks,” Helena said. 

Joe handed her the bouquet. “Thank you for the breakfast.” He patted his belly. 

Helena paid for her flowers, left an ample tip, and left the shop.

Helena ate her croissant on the way home because she wanted to run in and out, then take her bike up north. She did need to clear her head, and to breathe fresh air, so taking a ride sounded good. 

Dinah was still asleep when Helena got home. She got a pad of paper out to write a note. 

‘Took a ride up north. Sleep longer. I’ll be back soon, so don’t miss me too much. There’s a croissant on the island. I love you. H.’

She smiled at her note, folded it on top of the flowers, left them on her own pillow, then left. 

Helena felt ease when she could no longer see the city. When all she could see was trees and all she could breathe was fresh air. She loved trees. She never realized how much of an outdoor person she was until she moved back to Gotham, and she actually missed trees. She missed hills and mountains. Getting out of the city was the only reprieve. 

Helena always stopped at a little cafe about an hour out. She walked into the cafe and took off her helmet. 

“What can I get for you?” the young waitress asked when she stepped up to the counter. 

“Just a black coffee,” Helena answered. Their coffee wasn’t wonderful, but it was caffeine. 

The girl smiled. “Just a second, k?”

Helena smiled back. 

Once she had her coffee, Helena sat outside to drink it. It was quiet, the only noise was cars going by on the highway. It was peaceful. 

Helena wondered if she could ever convince Dinah to move away from the city. She wondered if she could tell Dinah how beautiful it was, and if Dinah would like it. Helena thought she would. She thought Dinah could get used to it. 

Helena was about to finish her coffee when a woman walked by and tripped over Helena’s seat. She fell down hard, and Helena instantly jumped up to help her. 

“Are you okay?” Helena asked, probably not sounding very comforting but trying. 

“Ooh, ow,” the woman answered. Helena helped her into the chair opposite her. “Thank you, honey, thank you so much.”

“It’s pretty much my fault you fell. Can I get you something?” Helena looked over and noticed a bus boy clearing a table across the sitting area. “Excuse me, can we get a bag of ice?”

“Sure,” he said, then left into the cafe. 

“Thank you,” the woman said. 

Helena could tell she was in pain. 

“I’ll be okay,” the woman added. “You sit and finish your coffee.”

Helena didn’t know what else to do, so she sat down in her chair. 

“I talk to take my mind off pain,” the woman said. “Do you mind?”

Helena shook her head. 

“What brings you here?”

Oh, talks to me, Helena thought. But she answered anyway. “Just riding through.”

“Riding?”

Helena pointed to her bike. 

The woman nodded. “You’re not scared of that thing?”

Helena thought there were far more dangerous things she faced daily, so no, she wasn’t afraid of a motorcycle. But she didn’t say that. 

“No, I’ve been riding for years. Plenty of practice.”

“Well, I’ve been walking for years and...”

Helena cracked a smile. 

The bus boy returned to their table and handed the woman the ice. “Are you okay, ma’am?”

She nodded. “Thank you, honey.”

The bus boy offered any help if she needed it, then left. 

“So,” the woman continued. “Are you running away from something?”

Helena was confused. “Like what?”

The woman shrugged. “People coming through seem to be running away from the city. Are you?”

“No,” Helena answered. “Just clearing my head.”

“Oh? Problems?”

Helena thought she was pretty invasive. But she was a stranger. And Helena found that, despite not making many friends, she was really good at sharing her life with practical if not complete strangers. 

“No problem,” Helena said. “I’m going to propose to my girlfriend and just needed to think.”

“If you want to do it?”

“No!” Helena cried. “How.”

The woman smiled. “That’s sweet. But you know, the ‘how’ has never been what I thought of later in life.”

“What do you mean?”

The woman shrugged. “People asked all the time, ‘how did he propose?’ But for me that wasn’t the most important thing. It was just that he did. He loved me enough to spend his life with me.”

“So, how I do it isn’t as important?”

“Not in my opinion. In my opinion, the promise of what it symbolizes is the most important part.”

Helena nodded. She understood. 

The woman began to stand. Helena jumped up to help her. 

“You’re so sweet. She’s a lucky girl.”

Helena wanted to argue that all she did was help her stand, but there was no arguing. She helped the woman inside the building, then the woman waved her off. 

“Go,” she told Helena. “Get back to your beloved. And good luck with your marriage.”

Helena smiled. “Thank you.”

The woman smiled, then Helena left the cafe. 

Helena wasn’t done with her ride, yet. She got on her bike and continued riding, north and north, farther and farther into the hills. It was gorgeous, like it usually was. Helena loved the ride. 

Around lunch time, she got to another town, so she stopped for a cheeseburger at a little hole-in-the-wall shop. The burger was greasy and delicious, and she took a card to remember to bring Dinah one day. She’d love the burger. 

Dinah. Helena thought about Dinah. She’d been gone for almost three hours already, and she wondered if Dinah noticed she was gone. She wondered if Dinah was bothered or if she understood. She never asked if Dinah was bothered by her disappearing. She assumed Dinah understood. 

Sometimes she thought Dinah’s actual power was a Helena-Sense, because as she was thinking about Dinah, her phone vibrated. It was a text from her beloved herself. 

‘Come home. Miss you.’

Helena smiled. ‘Soon.’ she replied. 

Dinah sent back a kissing-face emoji, so Helena put her phone back in her bag and started her bike again. She was ready to go home to Dinah. 

It began to rain when she was about an hour out of the city, just passed the little cafe. Helena didn’t mind, she loved the rain. She drove more careful and knew taking a little more time to get to Dinah was better than speeding over wet ground. 

As she rode, Helena figured out what to do. Dinah loved the rain, and that’s all she needed. 

Helena had a plan.


	44. Proposal Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

Dinah wished she could make love to flowers. 

It was just that she never felt more love than when Helena brought her surprise flowers. Dinah didn’t know she was a flowers kind of girl until Helena, until the first time Helena brought flowers home ‘just because’ and Dinah fucked her in the kitchen. It was almost too much, too nice. But so Helena. 

After sleeping in for longer, wishing her flowers were Helena, she took a long, hot bath. Dinah pampered herself with bath salts and a body scrub that felt divine. But she missed Helena. 

She sent Helena a text. She knew Helena was okay, but she just had to let Helena know she was missed. 

‘Come home. Miss you.’

Helena texted back immediately. ‘Soon.’

Dinah replied with a silly emoji that she knew Helena wouldn’t reply to, but she loved to send it anyway. 

Then, Dinah ran some errands. She went to the bank, put gas in the car, mailed some bills, and finally went to the grocery store. 

It began to rain while Dinah was inside. Dinah wanted to hurry to catch it, to make sure she felt the drops on her skin, so she threw some stuff in a basket and left. 

It was still blessedly raining as she drove through town. She loved rain. She loved rain as much as her flowers. It would be a perfect day if Helena was home. 

Dinah ran into the apartment when she got home, carrying three bags of groceries. In the short distance from the store to the car to the apartment, her clothes were nearly soaked. She was dripping and she loved it. 

Dinah got into the apartment and tossed everything on the island. She shook her head to get wet hair out of her face. She was happy. What a happy day. 

She wished Helena was back. 

She wondered where Helena went. She considered calling, hoping maybe Helena would hear or feel her call and answer, but she didn’t. She gave Helena space. 

Dinah took the produce out of the shopping bag and went to the fridge. 

On the shelf at her eye level, she was surprised to see a latte with a note. 

‘Bedroom’, it said in Helena’s scratchy handwriting. 

Dinah grinned. Hmm, that kind of afternoon, huh?

Dinah put the refrigerated foods away and went to the bedroom. 

“Hey—“

Helena wasn’t in the room. She wasn’t in the bathroom, either, Dinah could tell. Instead, her rain jacket was on the bed with another note. 

‘Put this on and come upstairs.’

They went to the roof sometimes. It was quiet and romantic. They put a couch up there and had a tent they’d put up in the summer. Helena even got a grill and liked to use it from time to time. But mostly, it was their space. Their little piece of peace. It was their secret spot. 

Dinah climbed out the bedroom window onto the fire escape. It was barely raining anymore, but Dinah was still glad she had her rain coat. 

She climbed the two floors up to the roof. When she poked her head over the ledge wall, she saw Helena standing there looking out at the city. 

“What’re you doing?” Dinah asked, climbing onto the ledge.

Helena only partly turned around. She held out a hand. 

Dinah quickly approached and grabbed her hand. It was astounding how much she missed this woman when she was gone for a day. 

“You okay?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. “I just wanted to clear my head.”

“Yeah?” Dinah asked, pushing a strand of hair off Helena’s forehead. “What’s running through that pretty head of yours?”

“You,” Helena said, smiling at her. 

Dinah smiled back. “Yeah? You’ve been on my mind all day, babe.”

Helena looked back at the city. “The city is gorgeous from up here.”

Dinah looked out. “I agree.”

“Sometimes I like to think of this view and all I’ve gained by coming back here. Like, yeah, I accomplished what I came for. I finished the list. But...I also got...”

“Got what?” Dinah asked. 

Helena looked at her. “You.”

Dinah felt love. She looked at Helena, too. Helena’s eyes were so open and clear. Dinah thought the bike rides really worked for her. She looked at ease. Peaceful. 

“I don’t know what I would’ve done had I not met you. I...I don’t even know if I’d be here. What for? I have nothing else going on in my life.”

Dinah wanted to argue that she had plenty, that she couldn’t give Dinah that much credit. But she sensed Helena was having a moment, so she didn’t say anything. 

“These past few years with you have been...” Helena shook her head. “Truly more than I ever expected. Ever. I never thought I’d have a friend, a girlfriend. True love.”

Dinah’s heart began to beat faster. What was Helena doing? Why was she being so sappy?

“I never thought I’d want to meet you. The one I want to be with forever.”

Dinah couldn’t even speak. What the hell was Helena—

Helena dropped suddenly. Dinah was shocked until she realized what Helena was doing. 

She was on one knee. 

She pulled a blue box from her coat pocket. 

Helena took a deep breath. 

Dinah forgot how to breathe. 

“Dinah Lance,” Helena said, opening the box. “Will you marry me?”

Dinah dove at her. She couldn’t help it. She jumped into Helena’s arms, wrapping her own arms around Helena’s neck and squeezing her in an impossibly tight hug. 

Helena buried her face in Dinah’s hair. 

They hugged for many minutes, just holding each other tight. Dinah knew she was crying but could totally blame it on the rain sticking to her face. Of course she was crying. She was so fucking happy. And surprised Helena actually did it. 

“You didn’t answer,” Helena finally said. 

Dinah laughed. She sat back on her heels. 

“Let me see,” Dinah said. 

Helena began to open the box again. “Are you only going to say yes if you like the ring?”

“Baby, I said yes a long time ago.”

Helena laughed. She opened the box. 

Dinah knew that it was from Tiffany. She knew the box. But fuck, the ring!! It was gorgeous! And it was YELLOW!

“Holy fuck!” Dinah cried. 

Helena chuckled. “Do you like it?”

“Baby, this thing is huge!”

Helena looked proud. She popped it out of the box and held it up. 

Dinah held up her hand. She held her breath—

Helena paused. “You haven’t even answered.”

Dinah grabbed her face. “Of course I will marry you. I can’t wait to. I love you so fucking much.” She pulled Helena in and kissed her soundly. 

Helena was smiling. 

Dinah pulled back just as quickly. “Can I love this ring as much as I love you?”

Helena slipped it on her finger. It was a perfect fit.

“Can the ring come at a close second?”

Dinah admired it on her hand. It was so bright against her skin. It was fucking huge!

“I’ll consider,” Dinah said dreamily, just staring at her finger. 

She couldn’t stop smiling. Her face hurt from smiling. 

Helena was smiling at her. Dinah finally tore her eyes away from the ring to look at Helena. 

“I love you,” Dinah said, leaning over to kiss Helena. 

“I love you,” Helena said when they parted. 

Dinah threw her arms around Helena’s neck. She admired the ring behind Helena’s back. 

“Am I ever going to get attention again?” Helena asked.

“Unlikely.”

Helena laughed. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Baby, I love it!”

Dinah pulled back to kiss her again. She held Helena’s face so she could keep an eye on the ring. 

Helena pulled back quickly, though. 

“Do you two need a moment?”

Dinah pulled her in again. “Shut up.”

Helena smiled. She kissed Dinah soundly. 

Dinah dragged her downstairs, stripped them both of their soaking wet clothes, and shoved Helena onto the bed. She kept her eye on the ring almost the whole time, as her hand was fisted into Helena’s hair, as she was scratching Helena’s back. 

Dinah came harder than she ever had. Maybe it was the ring. 

It was definitely the ring. 

As they cooled down, Dinah had Helena cuddled in her arms. Helena’s back was against Dinah’s chest, and Dinah had her arm wrapped firmly around Helena, holding her tight. 

Helena was playing with her ring, twisting it around Dinah’s finger. 

“When do you want to get married?” Dinah asked. She had an idea, maybe in a few months. In the fall. Sometime with nice weather and nice scenery. Maybe—

“Tomorrow.”

Dinah chuckled. “Uh, okay.”

Helena turned onto her back. “I’m serious.”

Dinah knew she was. Fuck, she was serious. She literally wanted to get married tomorrow. She knew that when Helena had her mind on something (this time, getting married) she didn’t have a medium setting to do something. It was all or nothing. And getting married tomorrow was her idea of ‘all’.

“Where the fuck are we supposed to get married tomorrow?”

Helena shrugged. “Courthouse. I don’t know. We can wait. It’s up to you. Whenever you want.” 

She was so casual and acted like it so wasn’t a big deal, that Dinah realized it wasn’t. They could totally get married tomorrow. What difference would tomorrow and four months from then make? 

None. 

Dinah smiled. “Let’s do it.”

Helena’s eyes snapped up to her face. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah. Let’s go to the courthouse.”

Helena looked surprised. “Wait. Really?”

Dinah nodded. “Yes. Yes, let’s do it.”

Helena slowly smiled. “Okay. Let’s do it. Tomorrow.”

Dinah leaned in and kissed Helena. 

Round two was coming up quickly. Helena trailed kisses from Dinah’s lips to her neck. She pushed Dinah onto her back. 

“This ring is like an aphrodisiac,” Dinah said, holding her hand over their heads so she could see it. 

Helena sucked on her neck. “I remember the time it used to be me who turned you on.”

Dinah’s hips pushed against Helena. “Oh, it’s still you, baby.”

Helena sucked kisses lower and lower, until Dinah was crying out again. 

Dinah spent the night in disbelief that Helena did it, she proposed. She thought she would get impatient and ask instead. But she really wanted to Helena to ask so she could know Helena meant it, that Helena was ready. 

Dinah didn’t care anymore. They got there. 

And she had a big ass ring to prove it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was considering splitting my one-shots into two story threads, one just fluff and stuff and one explicit and smut. Does it bother anyone when there’s just suddenly a smut chapter? Let me know.


	45. Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real prompt. Thanks for reading!

It had been three months since they tied the knot. Two months since they returned from their month-long honeymoon through Europe.

So two months since they began crime fighting again. 

It was easy to fall back into the routine. It wasn’t like they could just slow down during vacation; they continued exercising every chance they could. They hadn’t fought anyone on their honeymoon, but they were still pretty well fit. 

It had been two months since they left for their first mission and Dinah slipped off her wedding ring, placing it securely in the Tiffany Blue box she kept on her nightstand. 

“You’re taking it off?” Helena asked, almost hurt. 

Dinah chuckled. “I mean, yeah. That thing is worth more to me than literally anything I’ve ever owned. I’m not letting it get damaged.”

Helena still frowned. 

“You’re not taking yours off?” Dinah asked, even though she wasn’t surprised. Helena hadn’t removed hers since she put it on at the courthouse a month ago. Not even to wash dishes like Dinah did. 

“You should,” Dinah added. “Keep it safe.”

Helena shook her head. “I doubt anything will happen to mine anyway. It doesn’t stick out.”

Helena’s ring was a flat Olive Leaf Band Ring from Tiffany. She didn’t want a diamond or anything flashy, just something simple. The olive leaves fit her perfectly. 

Dinah let it go. She didn’t ask Helena not to wear it, because Helena could do whatever she wanted. She doubted there would be any convincing her anyway.

The ring didn’t get in the way for two months,but Dinah could tell Helena was still careful with her left hand. Usually, Helena was ambidextrous in a fight, easily using both hands to hit and punch. But after she had the ring, she would only use her left hand if the opportunity really called for it. Dinah knew she was being more careful. 

So two months in, they had a good fight. It was easy and quick. Dinah was impressed, as she usually was, that Helena took down so many goons. 

They walked out of the warehouse together. Dinah held out her hand to take Helena’s. 

Then, she noticed Helena was being delicate with her left hand. She was kind of cradling it close to her body. 

“You okay?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. “Fine.”

Dinah didn’t think she was fine, but she dropped it. Even when she noticed Helena use her right hand to reach across herself and open the car door. Even when Helena used her right hand to reach across herself to grab her water bottle from the cup holder. 

“You sure you’re good?” Dinah asked as she drove them home. 

Helena nodded. 

“Okay...”

When they got home, Dinah watched Helena struggle to undress without really moving her left hand. Dinah offered to help, but Helena refused. 

“Did you hurt a rib again?” Dinah asked. 

Helena shook her head. 

Dinah was confused and concerned. 

Helena tossed her clothes into the designated laundry basket for their fight clothes and went into the bathroom. Dinah wanted to know what the fuck was going on, but she didn’t bother Helena. 

Helena was in the bathroom for a while. Dinah waited on the bed to take her turn long after the toilet flushed. 

Finally, Dinah heard a grunt and she knew Helena was in trouble. 

“You okay, honey?” Dinah asked. 

“Yeah,” Helena said, breathless. 

Dinah didn’t believe it. “You sure?”

“I’m fine,” Helena snapped. 

Dinah laid back against the headboard and took out her phone. She was worried about Helena. Was she sick? 

Something slammed in the bathroom. Dinah sat up. 

“Babe?”

Helena didn’t reply. Dinah got off the bed. 

She waited outside the door for almost three minutes until Helena finally said, “Baby I need you.”

Dinah rushed into the bathroom. She was surprised to see Helena standing at the counter with her left hand just laying there. 

“What’s going on?” Dinah asked. 

Helena held up her hand. Her ring finger was bent over her pinky. 

“Oh fuck!” Dinah cried. She wanted to throw up. There wasn’t any blood but it looked fucking gruesome. 

“I think my finger is out.”

“Ya fuckin’ think!”

Helena frowned. “Just pop it back in.”

“Are you insane?! I can’t just pop it back in! We gotta go to the hospital!”

“What?! No! Just pull it and it’ll go back. I just couldn’t—“

“You already tried?!”

Helena frowned deeper. “Please, just try.”

“No! No. We are going to the hospital. Get dressed.”

“How do you expect us to explain this? I was fighting a bunch of drug dealers!”

“We’ll see Renee’s doctor. The one who knows. I am not dealing with that.”

Helena looked upset. 

Dinah shook her head and turned to walk out of the bathroom. “Told you not to wear your ring.”

“Okay! First incident in two months!”

Dinah went to the closet to grab them some clothes. She slipped on leggings and a top for herself and grabbed Helena sweatpants and a t-shirt. 

When she finished, she tossed Helena’s clothes at her.

“Can you dress yourself?”

“I’m not completely incompetent,” Helena snapped. 

Dinah raised her hands in mock surrender. 

Dinah sat on the edge of the bed to put her shoes on as Helena got dressed. Dinah was finished by the time Helena got her pants pulled up. 

“Need some help there, ace?” Dinah sarcastically asked. 

“A good wife would feel sorry for their hurt spouse.”

“A good wife wouldn’t wear a fucking wedding ring to fight crime.”

Helena scowled. “I made a vow.”

“Uh, okay, the law doesn’t know you kill people every other night. It doesn’t have to know you remove your ring to do so.”

Helena scowled deeper as Dinah grabbed her shirt to help her put it on. 

“I don’t kill someone every other night.”

“Okay,” Dinah sarcastically replied, pulling the shirt over her wife’s head. 

“I like to tell the world we’re married.”

“Who, while we’re fucking fighting someone, needs to know we are married?!”

“I don’t know!” Helena cried, throwing her hands in the air. Then she winced and scowled again. 

Dinah calmed her by kissing her. When she backed away, she said, “You’re lucky your angry face is so cute.”

“It’s not cute,” Helena argued.

Dinah kissed her again. “It’s so cute.”

Helena glared at her. 

Dinah made her sit on the bed so she could help with Helena’s shoes. Once they were done, Dinah dragged her out of the bedroom, out of the apartment, and to the hospital. 

Helena’s finger was so broken it required surgery to reconstruct, and Dinah had never seen her so mad to know she’d be out of commission for six weeks. She was pissed. She was even more mad when Dinah said:

“Shouldn’t have worn your ring.”

Helena was mad, but Dinah didn’t mind. She was glad that a broken finger was all that ever took Helena out of the game, knock on wood. 

Dinah still pampered Helena and covered her with loving kisses to help her feel better. Helena finally stopped scowling so much when she realized she’d need help in the shower every day. 

Then, Dinah knew she was pretty okay with wearing a cast. 

Dinah didn’t stop teasing Helena about being right about the ring, though. So, once Helena was clear to resume crime fighting, Dinah made sure their rings were safe in their boxes, and she made sure to put Helena’s back on her every night. It was like making a promise all over again, every single night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This happened to my friend. She was the goalie on my soccer team and forgot to take a ring off one game. It was her pinky though and it was completely sideways. So gross. Lol.
> 
> You can look up their rings on the Tiffany website, too. They exist.


	46. Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really a Christmas story. 
> 
> Prompt: “You better not be screwing in my bathroom!”
> 
> A little angsty but gets better. 
> 
> A little bit of smut, too.

Helena was in a shitty mood for, like, two weeks. It wasn’t that Dinah didn’t know why, it was that she didn’t know _why_. 

It was December, two weeks until Christmas. It was their first Christmas together. They’d been together for ten months already, so it was a special Christmas. Ten months in a relationship was a big deal. 

But Dinah knew why Helena was being so shitty: she missed her family. Helena would never admit it. Helena said she missed her family a lot, when they talked about anything sentimental. But to miss them for something as sappy as Christmas? That’s what Dinah knew she’d never admit. 

Helena pushed Dinah away at the end of November, right after a quiet Thanksgiving. Helena practically closed the doors to her brain and her heart. She hardly spoke. She hardly did anything. She was more aggressive. 

It made Dinah so sad. 

It was also kind of frustrating, even though Dinah would never say that. She missed her family too, but fuck, she wasn’t being a complete asshole. 

But Dinah loved Helena. She wanted to help. 

She gave Helena space. She gave Helena head kisses and welcomed her if she wanted to be near Dinah. It wasn’t often during the month of December, but it was sometimes. 

Dinah and Helena were invited to Annie’s Christmas party. It was going to be family and a few friends, and Dinah was glad to attend. 

Helena, as predicted, didn’t want to go. 

Dinah didn’t want to push, but she didn’t want to go alone. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” Dinah asked about three days before the party. 

Helena shook her head. 

Dinah stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “Alright,” she said instead. She knew she couldn’t push Helena. 

Either way, she asked, “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

Helena shrugged. “I just don’t feel it like.”

It was more words than Dinah had been getting, so it was almost a win. 

She pushed hair off Helena forehead. “Are you okay if I go?”

Helena nodded. “Of course. I want you to enjoy yourself.”

Dinah understood. But she still wished she could help Helena. 

But Dinah wanted to give Helena her space, and she wanted to go to her friend’s party, so days later she went. 

“I’ll be there until about eleven,” Dinah said. “So if you need me before, I’ll absolutely come home. Okay? You know where Annie’s is, too.”

Helena nodded. “Have fun.” She gave Dinah a kiss, but Dinah thought it felt forced. 

Dinah still kisses back, then left the apartment feeling guilty. 

Dinah wanted to enjoy herself. Just because Helena’s life seemed to be on hold didn’t mean hers needed to be. 

Did it?

Dinah thought about turning around every three minutes on the way to Annie’s, but she didn’t. She would give Helena space and enjoy herself. 

She wasn’t enjoying herself much. Not only did Dinah feel extremely guilty for leaving Helena, but the party was full of people she didn’t know. She couldn’t even drink (because she was driving) and had to make small talk with strangers. Why did she need to attend the party?

Annie was glad she went, though, and for that Dinah felt better. Annie gave a grand tour of her house, loaded her with food, and tried to make sure Dinah was okay. Annie was a good friend. 

Not how Dinah felt for Helena. 

Around nine, Dinah thought she’d head out. She felt awful. She couldn’t enjoy herself knowing Helena was at home drowning in her own misery. She thought she’d ask Annie if she could have some leftover cookies, because if there was anything to make Helena happy it was going to be sugar. 

Dinah spotted Annie heading towards the front door, so she followed. She rounded the corner to stop Annie when—

Annie opened the front door to Helena standing on the other side. 

Annie smiled. “What’s up, creep? Just showin’ up at my house.” 

Helena looked worried. “Isn’t...isn’t Dinah here?”

Annie laughed. 

Dinah rushed over and pushed Annie. “Leave her alone!” Dinah cried, getting to Helena. “What are you doing here?”

“I missed you,” Helena said. “Can I...” she looked at Annie. “Am I still welcome?”

Annie tisked. “Of course! Get your skinny ass in here. Your girl has been miserable without you.”

Helena entered the house and reached for Dinah’s hand. It was the first bit of contact she’d initiated in weeks. 

“I’m sorry,” Helena said. 

Dinah shook her head. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”

Annie pushed them further inside. “Are you hungry?” she asked Helena. “There’s a ton of food. And desserts! My mom makes the best cinnamon cookies, you gotta try one.”

“Uh, okay,” Helena awkwardly said as Annie began to lead them to the kitchen. Then, she looked at Dinah. “Can we talk first?”

Dinah nodded. “Hey, hold up on that food, k?” she called to Annie. 

Annie waved them away, already distracted with something else that needed taking care of. 

Dinah dragged Helena up the stairs and to Annie’s bedroom’s bathroom. She knew they’d have privacy. 

Once the door was locked, Dinah turned to Helena. 

“What’s up? You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m...” Helena shook her head. “I just realized I’ve been treating you like shit for the past few weeks and I wanted to tell you why.”

“I know why.”

Helena met her gaze. “You do?”

“Yes, duh. I don’t have a family either, honey. It wasn’t a mystery.”

Helena frowned. “That’s why I realized I’ve been so awful. You have just as much right as I do to mope and you don’t. How do you do it?”

Dinah shrugged. “My back story is way less tragic?” she offered, then chuckled. “Babe, it’s not a competition.”

“But how do you do it? How do you function?”

Dinah took a deep breath. She got good at masking pain a long time ago. She never accepted her mother’s death but she was just...alright. It was alright. And now? With her life on track and having Helena and the Birds? Shit was okay. 

“I don’t know,” Dinah said. “I’m just okay. I thank God for what I do have. For you.”

Helena was staring at her. “I didn’t know you believe in God.”

“Well, I mean, something. The universe. Our stars for aligning. We were meant to catch each other, you know? I believe that. And I’m just thankful we did. In years past? No, I didn’t have an easy time around big events. My mom’s birthday is the worst. I miss her a hell of a lot that day.”

Helena was just watching her talk. “Should I talk about it more?”

“Do you want to?”

“Maybe. Not right now.”

Dinah cracked a smile. “We don’t have to get deep in my friend’s bathroom.” She reached over and touched Helena’s coat. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” Helena said. “I feel a lot better. I thought about it, kind of stuff you said. I’m glad I have you. Years past have been so lonely by myself, but I don’t have to be lonely anymore.”

“You don’t,” Dinah said. 

Helena crossed first, leaning in and capturing Dinah’s lips. It was a short kiss, but Helena stayed near. When they parted, Helena said, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Dinah asked, slowly wrapping her arms around Helena’s neck. 

“Being patient.”

“I’ll always be patient for you, baby. I’ll always wait.”

Helena kissed her again, this time pushing her whole body against Dinah tight. Dinah held on, holding Helena.

Helena must have felt better, because she deepened the kiss. She pushed her tongue into Dinah’s mouth and Dinah’s eyes rolled back. They had been apart physically for too long. Dinah wasn’t used to going without sex anymore. 

They were in private...why not?

Dinah spread her legs a little bit, and Helena caught on and lifted her onto the sink, standing between her legs. 

“I missed you,” Dinah whispered between breaths. 

Helena’s eyes were shut tight. She looked so into it, so into the moment. Dinah got more excited. It was so hot. 

“I missed you,” Helena whispered back, grazing her hands down Dinah’s neck and chest. 

Dinah tugged at the lapels of Helena’s coat, then pushed it off her shoulders. The heavy fabric fell to the ground with a thud and Dinah had her arms around Helena’s neck again. 

Their kisses didn’t end. It was so good. Dinah felt Helena everywhere, pushing at her and trying to fuck through their jeans. Helena sighed gently, making Dinah lap up the sounds against her lips. 

Dinah decided to move it along. She stroked down Helena’s front and stopped at her jeans. 

“Can I?” Dinah asked when she got to the button and zipper. 

Helena nodded. “Yes,” she sighed, licking at Dinah’s neck. 

Dinah didn’t waste any time. She unbuttoned and unzipped, then dove right into Helena’s underwear. Her fingers wiggles through and found Helena wet already, wet and ready. 

“You want me,” Dinah said. 

Helena choked a groan and pushed her hips into Dinah, riding her fingers. 

Dinah scratched blunt nails down Helena’s back, making Helena’s hips stutter again. 

Dinah pushed Helena’s jeans down a little bit to allow her fingers better access. She squeezed Helena’s ass and pulled her hips forward, all while Helena moaned and sighed where her lips were attached to Dinah’s neck. Dinah was sure she was going to have a hickey where Helena was biting her so hard but she truly did not care. 

Dinah felt incredible. She wanted Helena to loosen up, to feel better, and if offering her body was going to do that then Helena could have whatever she wanted. Dinah would get on her knees now if she wanted. In fact—

The sudden knock on the door made them both freeze. 

“You better not be screwing in my bathroom,” Annie said through the wood. 

Helena’s eyes were ridiculously huge and there was a bright red blush on her cheeks. Dinah knew it wasn’t just from being turned on.

“We’ll be right out,” Dinah called. 

Helena pulled Dinah’s hand out of her jeans. 

“Please clean up,” Annie said. “Nobody wants your cum all over the place.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. Helena looked even more embarrassed. 

They heard Annie’s footsteps leave the bedroom, and Helena stepped back. 

“Fuck,” Helena muttered. 

“Yeah,” Dinah said, hopping off the counter. “Too bad.”

“Too bad?! That was insane! We shouldn’t have—why did we—“

Dinah kissed her to stop her. Helena melted again. 

Dinah pulled away before she didn’t give a shit about their setting and pushed Helena onto the floor. 

“To be continued,” Dinah said. “I’m so glad you feel better.”

Helena nodded. “Me too.”

Dinah smiled. 

They cleaned up and returned the the party. Annie gave them teasing jabs and faces the whole time, but Dinah really didn’t care. She still had fun. 


	47. Tall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: (Person A) teasing (Person B) for being shorter.

“Need some help?” 

Dinah looked over to see Helena coolly leaning against the refrigerator. She glared. 

“Not from you.”

Helena smirked. “You sure? You got that bowl?”

Dinah didn’t want to reach with Helena watching her. She was having trouble reaching the bowl she needed but she didn’t need Helena’s asshole smirk. 

“I got it,” Dinah snapped, waiting for Helena to leave. 

Helena raised an eyebrow. “Go for it.”

“I’ll wait.”

Helena crossed her arms. “It’s okay that you’re tiny. You can ask for help.”

“You are two inches taller than me.”

“Two inches can reach the bowl.”

“Two inches can shut the fuck up.”

Helena smiled wider. “I can help. All you need to do is ask.”

“I’m not asking.”

“Fine. Shorty.”

“Because you’re a fuckin’ giant.”

Helena was still smiling. Dinah wanted her cocky ass to leave so she could struggle to reach the bowl on the top shelf in peace. 

“I can help,” Helena offered again.

Dinah shook her head. 

They stared at each other for a few minutes, both smiling and wondering who would crack first. Would Helena walk away or would Dinah accept help? 

Helena did crack first, but she didn’t walk away. Instead, she swept in and captured Dinah’s lips. 

Dinah wrapped her arms around Helena’s neck and kissed back. 

Then, without warning, Helena lifted her up and sat her on the counter. She took Dinah’s hand and lifted it above them. Dinah felt the bowl she was trying to reach. 

Dinah let out a laugh, breaking their kiss apart. 

“Nobody likes a know-it-all.”

“What did I know? That sitting on the counter would make you tall enough to reach the bowl? You should be thanking me.”

Dinah needed to reach just a tiny bit to get the top of the bowl. As she stretched, Helena kissed her neck. 

“I love my tiny girlfriend,” Helena said as Dinah put the bowl on the counter. “I wish you were smaller.”

“What? Why would I need to be smaller?”

“So I could carry you in my pocket.”

Dinah laughed. “You’re so weird.”

“What? I could just keep you with me all the time. No sharing. No danger.”

“We like danger.”

“I like danger. I don’t like you in danger.”

Dinah gripped Helena’s head and pulled her back so she could look at Helena’s face. 

“I’ve seen the shit you throw in your pockets. I’d be in equal danger.”

Helena snorted. “I don’t put random shit in my pockets.”

“There was a rock in the washing machine yesterday.”

“It was a cool rock.”

“If I was in your pocket, it would squish me. Then you’d forget me and put me in the washing machine.”

Helena looked offended. “I would never forget you.”

Dinah smiled. “You say that now.”

“I say that always,” Helena said before kissing Dinah. 

Dinah was about two seconds from forgetting why she needed the bowl, but then her stomach growled and she remembered that she was hungry. 

She lightly pushed Helena so she would free Dinah from the counter. 

Helena held onto her leg before she jumped. “You good?” she asked. “You’re so short it might be too high for you to jump down.”

Dinah pushed her further away, but she laughed. She jumped down. 

Helena kissed her cheek when she landed. “Good job, babe.”

Dinah pushed her again. “Shut up.”

Helena stepped away laughing. Dinah got ready to make their dinner. 

Dinah just waited for the next time Helena needed to assert her height to Dinah. The woman was a tower. And Dinah not-so-secretly loved it. 


	48. Baby Shower

Helena glared at the little paper in her hand, then at Dinah, then at the little paper. 

She was sitting on the edge of the bathtub watching Dinah do her hair. 

“There will be cake!” Dinah tried. 

Helena glared just at Dinah. “There will be people.”

“There will be other food! Booze!”

“Women...” Helena practically spat out. 

“You like women!”

Helena glared harder. “Women are scary and catty.”

“Sorry, I thought you liked women when you married one.”

Helena glared impossibly harder. “I like you.”

“So come with me! I will be there!”

Helena looked at the invitation in her hand. It was for Annie’s baby shower. Dinah didn’t tell her about it until the day of the event because she didn’t want to give Helena a chance to make up something else she had to do instead. 

“Why do you want me to go anyway?” Helena asked. “Won’t you have more fun without me?”

“As with everything we ever do, no. Half the appeal of marrying you was to have a date for life.”

“Who takes a date to a baby shower?!”

“I do!” Dinah argued. “You’re so annoying. Will you just come, please? Annie even asked if you’d go.”

“She did?”

“Yes, duh. That’s why we were both invited.”

Helena sighed. It was rude not to attend a party you were personally invited to. 

“You owe me.”

“There will be cake.”

“It better be fucking good cake.”

Dinah leaned over and kissed her nose. 

* * *

Dinah was glad to go to the party. She loved Annie and she was so excited for her baby. Dinah never had babies in her life, so Annie’s daughter would be the first baby she would ever be close to. But Dinah liked babies. They were small and cute. They were aggressive and could be calmed with a nice blanket and soothing rubs. 

Her wife was a lot like a baby...

Dinah was glad Helena finally agreed to go. Did she feel bad about tricking Helena into going places? Sometimes. Did she also know it was good for Helena to leave the house sometimes? Yes. Did she like showing off her wife to Annie’s poor straight friends? Absolutely. 

People always fawned all over Helena like she was the token lesbian therefore really cool. As if Dinah wasn’t also married to a woman. Everyone always thought Helena was so damn interesting even if they didn’t know about her childhood. People just flocked to her and thought she was neat. She was like all of Annie’s straight friends’ crush. 

Dinah thought she was cool too, sure. Dinah definitely had a crush on her. 

When they got to the party, Annie greeted them with a big hug, and that was pretty much the beginning of Helena’s unhappiness. 

Dinah gladly hugged her friend back, though. Then she held up her hands. 

“Can I?” Dinah asked, asking if she could touch Annie’s big belly. 

Annie stuck it out more. “Go for it! And thanks for asking.”

Dinah pressed her hands onto Annie. She never touched a woman’s stomach, especially random women who offered (it was often). But Annie was her friend.

“Want a try, creep?” Annie asked Helena. 

Helena made a disgusted face. “No.”

Annie laughed. She stepped toward Helena, practically teasing her with her belly. “Come on, touch it.”

Helena looked like she wanted to run away. “No. Nope.”

Dinah laughed and grabbed Helena’s hand. “Come on. I was told there’d be booze that you can’t drink?” she asked Annie. 

Annie led them to the kitchen. There was a whole brunch spread, and Dinah helped them both to mimosas. 

Helena took everything in and just looked unhappy the whole time. There were a lot of people—women—and Dinah was sure she was trying to avoid being ogled or making small talk. She didn’t know which one Helena hated more. Being “complemented” on her muscles or having to talk about a fake job she made up every time they met someone knew. 

Last month at a dinner she was a sports writer and comically knew nothing about sports. It really pissed off every man she talked to. 

Helena stood behind Dinah the whole time, so much that Dinah’s hair fell into Helena’s fruit salad. 

Dinah laughed as Helena looked upset. 

“Well, take literally half a step back, honey. You don’t have to be up my ass.”

Helena looked confused, and then realized Dinah was using hyperbole to tease. 

Helena sighed. “Fine. I’ll just go away.”

Dinah knew she was being dramatic, but she reached for Helena’s arm anyway. “Honey...”

Helena held up a hand to stop her. “No, it’s fine.”

Dinah could see her trying not to smile. Dinah rolled her eyes. “Babe...”

Helena walked out of the room. 

Dinah wondered where she was even going to go, but as long as Helena wasn’t actually pissed, she thought it was fine. Dinah just paid attention to Annie beginning to open presents in front of the group. 

Dinah watched happily like everyone else. She held her mimosa in her hand and ooh’d and awe’d at all the gifts. Every few minutes someone would ask her where Helena disappeared to. The women seemed far too interested in her wife’s whereabouts, so Dinah just snapped that she didn’t know. She wasn’t worried about Helena. 

Fifteen minutes later, Helena stumbled into the room next to Dinah. She was huffing, out of breath, with a red face. Dinah looked her up and down and noticed dirt streaks on her knees. 

“The fuck happened to you?” Dinah asked. 

Helena pushed sweaty hair out of her face. “There were kids outside.”

Dinah was confused. “What? Where?”

Helena nodded to the backyard. Dinah followed her gaze out the window right behind them to see a few kids playing tag and running around outside. 

Dinah looked at Helene again. “Wh—“

Helena grabbed her glass and downed the last of her mimosa. 

Dinah was so confused. What the hell? Helena disappeared to play with kids? Who was this?!

Well, Dinah realized it wasn’t that far out of the ordinary. Helena has said she’d rather talk to kids than adults. 

“The kids told me to ask when there would be cake.”

Dinah broke into a laugh. “The kids did?”

Helena diverted her gaze. “Okay, I wanted to know.”

Dinah just looked at her. 

“You said there would be cake.”

Dinah couldn’t stop smiling. This ridiculous woman of hers. She took the bottom of Helena’s shirt to pull her in. 

Helena coolly flipped hair out of her face before kissing Dinah slowly. 

Dinah embraced the kiss even further when she could feel a bunch of jealous women’s eyes on them. She smiled into the short kiss, loving every second of getting to kiss in front of other people. 

But the kiss was shortened even more by little hands pushing Dinah and Helena apart. Dinah stepped back and looked down to see a little boy with big blue eyes and a little girl with cute little glasses staring at them. 

“We need help!” the boy cried. 

Helena fake gasped. “With what?”

The little kids’ mom reached for them from the couch. “Joe and Jane, get outside! I told you!”

Dinah glared at her. The kids did too, then they turned to Helena again. 

Jane, the girl, spoke now. “The monster is back! We need a super hero!” She grabbed Helena’s hand and tried to pull her. 

Helena kneeled in front of the kids. 

“Do you know that either of you could be the super hero?” she asked. 

Jane pulled her hand again. “But we need you!”

Helena sighed. “I guess I can help this once. But only to teach you my super hero ways.”

Dinah laughed. The only other people in the world who knew Helena was a ‘super hero’ were two seven-year-olds and they didn’t know she was serious. 

Helena stood. She looked at Dinah. 

“Sorry, baby. Duty calls.”

Dinah gripped her shirt again. “My hero.”

Helena swept in for a kiss, then took off after the kids. 

Dinah just watched, laughing. She looked out the window again to see Helena running after a whole group of children. 

Dinah felt someone grab her arm. She looked down to see the kids’ mother smiling up at her. 

“She is wonderful with kids,” the woman said. “You are so lucky.”

“Yeah,” Dinah agreed. “I am.”

Twenty minutes later, Dinah went outside to deliver Helena a glass of water and her promised slice of cake. When the kids saw that cake was available, they all ran inside for their own slice, leaving Helena and Dinah outside alone. 

“Not so bad, huh?” Dinah asked. 

Helena shrugged, biting her cake. “I don’t have to answer invasive grown-up questions.”

Dinah nodded. “Lucky.”

Helena held up a forkful of cake. Dinah ate it. 

Helena smiled. “I guess the party isn’t terrible.” 

Dinah kissed her cheek. “You’re so cute, you know that?”

“I’ve been told.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. 

“The ladies in there are very vocal.”

Dinah laughed. “That’s true.”

Helena kissed her this time. 

Dinah was glad Helena found a way to enjoy herself at the party. 


	49. Notes

There were some times that Helena still didn’t believe in using her phone. She loved taking pictures, having the internet accessible at all times, and using apps like maps and the timer, but sometimes good ol’ pen and paper were more useful.

Dinah loved it. Sometimes, if Helena left the house before Dinah was up, she’d leave a note on her own pillow saying she’d be back soon. Sometimes she let Dinah know she borrowed her car. Sometimes she let Dinah know that she was taking a ride on the motorcycle. 

But mostly, she left notes of lists of things she either needed to do or needed to buy. She wrote lists for everything. 

One time, Dinah found a list that said, “Clean bow. Peroxide boots. Get blood out of pants.” 

At least, that’s what she thought the note said. 

That was the thing about Helena’s notes. Dinah was sure Helena was the only person on earth who could read them. 

Helena’s handwriting was not good. It was scratchy and inelegant. The letters never fit together, and although she wrote in cursive, it was the childlike cursive that Helena ended elementary school with. 

Dinah never commented on her handwriting for that reason. She knew Helena’s handwriting was the last on her list of worries when she was smuggled to Sicily. The girl had nothing, she didn’t care about penmanship. 

Luckily, Dinah rarely had to decipher the notes.She could make out the words of Helena’s notes that said, ‘Be back soon.’ or ‘Riding up north.’; especially the ones that just said ‘See you soon. I love you.’ But when Helena had a shopping list to complete, Dinah didn’t go to the store alone, so Helena could read her own damn notes. 

But then...

Helena got sick. 

Dinah knew it was a lot for Helena to be down for the count. She was sick-sick. Dinah was sure it was the flu, but Helena insisted she never got the flu. Instead of arguing, Dinah just took care of whatever Helena needed. 

Then, Dinah needed to go to the store for Helena. 

“Here’s the list,” Helena said, handing Dinah a post-it. “Take my card, too.”

Dinah frowned. “Can’t you just text the list to me?”

“Why? It’s right here.”

Dinah was apprehensive, but since Helena was sick, she didn’t argue. Instead, she kissed Helena’s warm forehead and left. 

Dinah wandered the grocery store with the messy little list. 

The first one was easy, ‘Kleenex’. Check. 

‘Paper towels’. Check. 

‘Oranges’. Check. 

Then it got tricky. 

Dinah loaded the hand basket with tomato sauce, spaghetti, bananas, carrots, and cheese. 

Maybe. 

Dinah at least knew those were all things Helena liked. Maybe not the tomato sauce, because she usually made sauce from scratch. And Helena hadn’t been cooking lately, since she’s been sick. 

Who knows what Helena was thinking. 

Dinah took her groceries home. When she arrived, she dropped the two bags on the island and began taking stuff out. 

Helena exited her bedroom a second later. 

“Hey,” Helena greeted. 

“Hey baby,” Dinah said. “How are you?”

Helena shrugged. “Alright.” 

Helena peered into one of the bags that Dinah hadn’t unloaded yet. She looked confused. 

“What...what is all this?”

“Groceries...” Dinah replied. 

“Didn’t you...I gave you a list.”

Dinah knew immediately what happened. “Fuck.”

“Did you not use my list?”

“No, I did...” Dinah took the list out of her pocket. “Baby, I can’t read your handwriting.”

Helena looked confused. “What?”

Dinah pointed at the first word after ‘oranges’. “What does that say?”

“Chicken soup,” Helena answered. 

“What?! How?!”

Helena looked at the groceries. “God, which one of these items did you think it said?”

“Tomato sauce!”

“How?!”

“C’s aren’t shaped like that!”

“Which one did you think the cheese was?” Helena asked. 

Dinah pointed at a word. 

“That says ‘Tylenol’!”

“What?!”

Helena looked defeated. “Why didn’t you tell me you can’t read my notes? Do you even, like, try at this point?”

“Yes! The ones you leave me when you leave, I love those. I get those. But your lists...”

Helena frowned deeply. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked. 

“Because I know your handwriting only went as far as, like, fifth grade. I didn’t want it to be triggering or something.”

Helena looked at Dinah. “That’s strangely nice.”

“I know. I’m super fucking nice.”

Helena cracked a smile. 

Dinah rubbed her shoulder. “Next time, I’ll make sure to ask what things say, okay?”

“I’m an adult, I should try to write better.”

Dinah shook her head, then pulled Helena into a tight hug. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Helena said. 

Dinah held her tight. “I didn’t want to bring up a bad memory.”

“My handwriting is not enough to trigger a mental breakdown. Thank you, though.”

Dinah kissed her shoulder. 

Helena slumped into her. Dinah knew she didn’t feel good. 

“Want some juice or something?” Dinah asked. 

“I really wanted chicken soup.”

Dinah laughed and stepped back. She grabbed her keys off the island. 

“I’ll be right back.”

Helena tried to stop her. “No, it’s okay, you don’t have to.”

“No, you’re sick, and you asked, and you want soup. I will be right back. With Tylenol.”

“And bagels.”

“Which one said bagels?!”

Helena pointed to the word Dinah thought was bananas.

“I’ll work on it,” Helena said without Dinah even saying anything. 

Dinah patted her shoulder. “That may be good.”

Helena smiled. “Thanks.”

Dinah kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

Dinah left the apartment to return to the grocery store to get her girl what she actually asked for. Anything to help Helena feel better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write lists and notes.
> 
> Nobody can read my lists or notes.
> 
> A curse of being ambidextrous but poor concentration with both hands.


	50. Cemetery

It was raining, and somehow Dinah thought that was fitting. Helena’s mood matched the weather, and of course it did. Sometimes Dinah thought it wasn’t just her world that revolved around Helena. That it was the entire actual world.

Dinah was quick to get ready. She didn’t want to upset Helena any more. She knew Helena got frustrated sometimes when Dinah took longer to get ready, but today, Dinah wanted to wait for Helena and not cause her any more stress. Not that they had an appointment. Not that they were on time restraint.

Dinah put on a black dress, because it felt fitting. Funerals were for black. She wore black to her mother’s funeral, a nice black dress that her grandma bought for her. She never wore the dress again. 

It wasn’t a funeral, though. The funeral had long past. They’d missed the funeral by sixteen years, and Helena had never visited the place of burial. Never had the chance. She was smuggled out of the United States the same day her family died. 

Dinah wondered how that went stateside. She remembered the family being murdered, hearing about it all the time, reading about it in the paper, seeing it on the news. “That poor family,” people said. “You know, they were...” 

In the mob. 

A family. 

Children. 

But Dinah never heard of Helena surviving. She never heard about one of the children being missing, a search occurring, or anyone wondering what happened to her. It was so hush-hush. Dinah wondered if anyone was even concerned that Helena was gone. 

That made her heart break more. Who? Who was left to care that the little girl’s body wasn’t still lying under her mother’s lifeless form? 

Dinah cared. Dinah would make up for all the care Helena never had. Dinah would count every day she had with Helena as a blessing from...somewhere. The universe. 

Dinah was waiting on the couch for Helena. Helena had been in her bedroom, where Dinah left her alone, for over two hours. Dinah was ready long ago, and she would have been had she not rushed, but she was glad to wait. She sipped carefully at a cup of coffee. Helena’s was cold at the kitchen island. 

Helena’s bedroom door finally clicked open. Dinah quickly turned around. 

Helena looked more grown up. She usually looked pretty grown, like the twenty-seven year old who had seen too much anyway, but today she looked somehow more grown. Tired, maybe. Run down. Nervous. 

Dinah thought she looked gorgeous in her black pants and black button-up, though. Of course she did. Helena looked fantastic in any way, shape, and form, but today she looked like she was actually trying. Like she had people to impress. 

She did, really. The spirits of her entire family.

Dinah approached slowly. 

“Hi,” she said quietly. Testing the waters. 

“Hi,” Helena replied, offering the barest hint of a smile. A tiny, tiny twitch of her lips. 

Dinah placed a hand on her arm. “You look nice.”

“Thanks,” Helena said. “You do, too.”

Dinah nodded in thanks. 

“Want your coffee?” Dinah asked. “It’s...I mean, it’s cold, but I can make—“

Helena shook her head. “Can we just go?”

Dinah nodded. She wanted to reassure Helena that they were on her time, with no rush, but she didn’t. Part of her didn’t want Helena to put this off. Part of her thought it would be good for her to finally visit. 

Harley has suggested it first. 

“Have you even been to the tomb?” Harley asked one night, for some reason. 

Dinah couldn’t remember. The subject of her family had come up. Maybe someone joked that Helena kept dodging death. Something like that. 

And Harley just...asked. 

Helena had shaken her head. She looked down at her drink, avoiding eye contact with the whole group. 

Dinah almost punched Harley. That wasn’t anybody’s business. Not even Dinah had asked that, and she’d been dating Helena for six months. 

“You should,” Harley said, even though nobody asked. “It could be good. Confront those issues. Say goodbye.”

Dinah glared at her. 

“Do you think I should?” Helena asked quietly. 

Dinah was still glaring at Harley, and she didn’t realize Helena was asking her until Harley raised her eyebrows at Dinah. 

Dinah looked at Helena, and Helena was looking at her. 

“Oh,” Dinah said, “I...if that’s something you might want to do.”

Helena nodded and didn’t say anything about it again until they were on their way home hours later. 

“Do you visit your mother’s grave?” Helena asked. 

Dinah shrugged. “I used to, a lot. When I was younger. And then, I don’t know. It was like my life moved on. Not from my mom. But it was kind of like I got too busy, and she would have been happy for me. Sometimes I do, still. When I know she’d be nagging me for not visiting her. If she was alive, you know. Like parents do in movies. They bug their grown kids to go home for dinner every once in a while. That’s when I visit.” Dinah stopped talking when she realized she was rambling. 

“When was the last time you went?” 

“Before I met you,” Dinah answered. “I should go sometime. Tell her I found you.” Dinah squeezed her hand. 

Helena nodded. “I think I might like to visit sometime.”

Dinah nodded. 

Helena looked at her. “Will you go with me?”

Dinah squeezed her hand again. “Of course.”

Dinah kept her promise. She would always keep her word for Helena. 

Dinah blinked at Helena in their kitchen. Helena was sipping the last of Dinah’s still warm cup of coffee. 

When Helena finished it, she put it in the sink and stepped out of the kitchen. 

“I forgot something,” Helena said. “Hang on.”

Dinah picked up her coat and purse from the island. 

Helena disappeared into her room for maybe a minute before emerging with two little pouches in her hand.

“I...” Helena sighed. “This is stupid.”

Dinah was confused. “What? What is that?”

Helena tossed the pouches onto the island. “Forget it.”

Dinah could tell she was embarrassed. What could she have possibly grabbed...

Dinah picked up one of the pouches and opened it. She peered inside and saw an elegant pink set of beads. Rosary beads. 

“Oh,” Dinah sighed. 

Helena looked frustrated. Dinah knew she was two seconds away from calling the whole thing off. 

“I’ll pray with you,” Dinah said, to alleviate Helena’s anxiety. Maybe she was afraid Dinah was going to judge her, as if praying was something to judge. 

“Really?” Helena asked. 

“Yes, of course. You’ll have to walk me through it, though. I’ve never done this before.”

Helena nodded. “You...you don’t have to. You don’t even have to go if...if I pray and—“

Dinah touched Helena’s hand. She was shaking. 

“I want to go with you,” Dinah said. 

Helena took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

Dinah stepped forward and kissed Helena’s cheek. “When you’re ready.”

Helena shifted her hands so she could hold Dinah’s. “Let’s go.”

They were wearing raincoats. Helena had bought one after finding out that Dinah liked being in the rain. It was fucking Burberry. Dinah had rolled her eyes when she ordered it, but Dinah guessed it was practical. Alright. 

Dinah drove in silence. They didn’t even turn the radio on. It truly felt like a funeral, like when Dinah rode in the limousine with her grandma behind her mom’s hearse. It was silent. She didn’t even cry. Too cried out to even be effected by the fancy car provided by the funeral home. 

Dinah wondered who rode in a limousine for the Bertinelli funeral. Probably everybody. Every rich person the family knew. 

Dinah parked on the driving trail at the cemetery, and in the short distance she could see the cluster of small family buildings. It was so strange. She had never been in that section of the cemetery. She didn’t know anybody buried in the mausoleums. 

Helena took her hand as they walked through mud and puddles. They walked on the dirt path, not atop the gravesites. Dinah didn’t care about getting her boots dirty. 

Helena held her hand comfortably and held an umbrella over them, like a gentleman. Gentlewoman. 

Dinah could practically feel Helena’s nerves as they grew closer to the mausoleums. Dinah looked around and wondered which one it was, which of these massive and gorgeous tombs Helena’s entire family was buried in. 

Dinah felt so sad all of a sudden. Her heart hurt for her love standing next to her. How did Helena deal? How did Helena function? 

Dinah was so sad. 

She didn’t notice she was crying. Her face was dry of the raindrops so she couldn’t even blame that when Helena said, “You’re crying.”

“Oh,” Dinah muttered, wiping her eyes quickly. “I—I’m sorry.”

Helena looked soft. Sad, too. “Don’t be.”

Helena kissed Dinah’s forehead. Dinah wanted to pull her in tight, hold her close, drag her back to the car and take her home, hide her there so neither of them had to feel any more pain. They endured enough. 

Helena began to walk again, and Dinah had no choice but the follow. 

A few minutes later, Helena paused in front of a large stone building with a marble door, that Dinah was aware was not a door. The building didn’t open. But it looked like an official little building, an important building, with ‘Bertinelli’ etched into the stone above the faux-door. 

Helena took a deep breath. 

Dinah squeezed her hand. 

Helena let her hand go then. She handed Dinah the umbrella and stepped forward. 

Dinah watched as Helena went right against the stone door, placing both palms against it. If Helena was a true super hero, like Wonder Woman or Superman, and not just a skilled super-assassin, Helena could have cracked the thick marble in two pieces. More pieces. She could break her family out and take them to another world to bring them back to life. Dinah had heard stories, the small amount of time she’d spent with the Justice League, of Wonder Woman’s origins and the Amazons. They could do anything. They could fix Helena’s family. They could make them whole again. 

Helena’s forehead was against the stone. Her hair was getting soaked. Dinah knew she didn’t care. 

Dinah wanted to ask if Helena was feeling better. If seeing the tomb was helping like they thought it would, but she didn’t disturb. Dinah thought she saw Helena’s mouth moving, and maybe she was talking to them. Saying hello. Dinah talked to her mother when she visited. She really ought to visit—

Helena kneeled. Under the door, there was a step, and Helena kneeled on the stone, her three-thousand-dollar coat getting wet. She didn’t care, so Dinah didn’t either. 

Dinah did move forward to kneel, too. She didn’t know a lot about what to do but she wanted to do whatever Helena was doing. 

Helena quickly brushed water drops off the stone when she realized Dinah was about to kneel. Dinah kind of chuckled. 

“Should’ve brought a towel,” Helena mumbled. 

Dinah held her wet shoulder and kneeled next to her. Dinah then put the umbrella down. 

“You don’t—“ Helena began. 

Dinah shook her head. 

Helena didn’t say anything. 

They were silent for a few moments. Dinah didn’t know what to say, what to ask. 

Are you okay? Are they okay? What do you feel? 

So, she waited. She waited for never ending minutes until Helena finally reached into the inside pockets of her coat and pulled out the pouches. 

She offered one to Dinah, and Dinah quickly took her. 

“You’ll have to guide me,” Dinah said, taking the pink beads out of the pouch. 

Helena nodded. 

Helena began in English, whispering the words from a memory that Dinah was sure she’d had since she was a child. Helena also showed Dinah where to hold the beads, when to move to each bead, and Dinah caught on when it got repetitive. 

One Our Father’s. 

Ten Hail Mary’s. 

“Glory be to the Father, to the Sun, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning...” Helena whispered. 

Dinah tried to keep up, but soon Helena slipped into easy Italian. Dinah lost her place too many times, then, and Helena, eyes shut tight, was too busy to ask for guidance. Dinah was fine. She just listened, and felt. 

Her eyes drifted shut too, and in no time she thought of her own mother. She imagined her mom coming to her, to Helena, of their two families coming together in union. As if she and Helena had a wedding. And the two families were joining. 

She knew her mother would be thrilled to have in-laws. She always talked about Dinah getting married one day. She talked about having a nice son-in-law, “Or daughter-in-law...” she’d tease Dinah. Dinah would just roll her eyes and tell her mom to shut up, out of embarrassment. Embarrassed that her mother knew her so well. 

She would know how smitten Dinah was for Helena. Her mother would sense it. She would tease Dinah for being so whipped. She would laugh at Dinah for being so in love, already, after just a short time. She would tease both of them about not taking too long alone in rooms, and Dinah would not even hold Helena’s hand for too long with her mother watching. Just not to hear her mom’s jabs. 

Dinah didn’t realize Helena had stopped speaking. She didn’t know how many moments passed before she finally opened her eyes and turned to Helena. 

“You okay?” Dinah asked automatically. 

“I’m finished,” Helena said. She didn’t sound upset that Dinah zoned out. 

“Good,” Dinah said. 

Helena took Dinah’s rosary from her hands. Dinah was surprised to even still be clutching the beads. Dinah watched Helena slip them back into their pouches, then replace them in her pocket. Then, Helena stood and held a hand out to Dinah. 

Dinah opened the umbrella when she stood. There wasn’t a point; they were soaked. 

Helena stood still, staring at the mausoleum. She looked up at her name over the door. 

“I should be in there,” Helena said quietly. 

Dinah feared her saying that. Survivor’s guilt. She knew about it. Harley mentioned it once, about Helena and Dinah both, but Dinah knew Helena actually had reason to feel like she shouldn’t have survived. Dinah wasn’t there when her mother was killed. Helena was. 

Dinah didn’t know what else to say other than, “I’m glad you’re not.” It was generic, but the truth. Her life would be vastly different without Helena. For one, with no job immediately after Sionis’ death, she certainly couldn’t have afforded to live anywhere. She wouldn’t have a rich friend to fall back on. 

And no love. Where would Dinah be without ever having felt true love?

“For fifteen years...” Helena muttered before trailing off. 

Dinah just looked at her, waiting for her to finish. 

It was minutes, and Dinah thought Helena thought she was still talking. So Dinah didn’t interrupt. 

But finally, Helena said, “For the first time, I’m glad I’m not in there, too.”

Dinah put an arm around Helena’s waist. She rested her cheek against Helena’s wet shoulder, but Helena lifted her arm and put it around Dinah’s shoulder. Dinah snuggled in to her close. 

They just stared at the marble for a while. Dinah didn’t know how much time passed, and she still didn’t interrupt. She just let Helena do her thing. 

She kind of wanted to know what Helena was thinking, what she was saying in her mind, but she didn’t intrude. Helena could have her time. 

Finally, Helena kissed Dinah’s forehead. “Are you ready to go home?”

“When you are,” Dinah said. 

“I’m ready,” Helena replied. She let Dinah go, stepping up to door. She pressed her palms against the wet stone again, then her forehead. 

“I’ll come back,” she said. “Ritornerò.”

Helena kissed the stone, then stepped down and joined Dinah again. 

Dinah felt like she needed to say something, too. This was her introduction to the family, and she knew they were watching. They were listening. Dinah believed in that shit: ghosts and spirits. She thought people lingered. Or she liked to believe that her mother was with her. Keeping her safe. Giving her strength when she thought she had no more. 

So, Dinah stepped up to the door. She touched it with one hand because she still had the umbrella in her hand. 

“I’ll take care of her,” she said, a promise to the people inside who cared for their daughter, their sister, their granddaughter. The people she’d be promising anyway. 

Dinah kissed the marble, too. It felt right. 

When she turned back to Helena, Helena was crying. Dinah got off the step, stopping right in front of Helena. She looked up at Helena, the two inches between them feeling like a skyscraper for some reason. 

Dinah cupped Helena’s cheek, then wiped a tear with her thumb. 

“Let’s go home,” Helena mumbled.

Dinah nodded. 

Dinah didn’t care about water in her car, but Helena tried to swipe the drops off her back before sitting. 

“Just get in,” Dinah insisted. 

Helena frowned, then sat down. Dinah started the ignition and turned the heat on, then grabbed Helena’s hand. 

“How are you?” Dinah asked. 

Helena took a deep breath. “Relieved.”

“Yeah?”

Helena nodded. “I had been putting it off. I didn’t...and you—“

“What, me?”

“I didn’t know if you’d come with me. If you’d be okay with, like, praying.”

Dinah wished Helena had trusted her with this earlier, but what was done was done. She was glad Helena trusted her now. 

“I’ll be by your side any time you’d like to return.”

Helena nodded. “Thank you, Dinah.”

“Hey,” Dinah said, taking Helena’s chin and lifting her face to look her in the eye. “I love you. And I mean it. I’m going to take care of you.”

Helena nodded. She leaned over the center console and kissed Dinah’s lips softly. 

Dinah happily kissed back, but soon pulled away to drive. 

Instead of home, they decided to go to lunch. But instead of having fancy food like at a funeral, they went to Dinah’s favorite by-the-slice pizza place, and got two giant slices of greasy pizza each. 

It was just what they needed. Throughout the meal, they calmed down and began to laugh again. 

Dinah was so glad to be a part of such a sacred time for Helena. It made her love Helena impossibly more. It was special. It was perfect. 

Dinah smiled across the table at Helena. Helena just smiled back. 

Then, she stole a pepperoni from Dinah’s pizza.

She knew then that Helena would be okay.


	51. Monopoly

“Why are we doing this?” Helena asked for the tenth time.

“I told you,” Dinah insisted, “We were both disappointed when the set we bought at the flea market wasn’t complete, and this was, like, five bucks at Target.”

“Are you sure it’s complete?”

“Yeah babe,” Dinah said, pointedly tearing the plastic wrap off the box. 

Helena sat cross legged on the floor in front of the coffee table, caddy-corner to Dinah. Dinah got the plastic off and opened the box. 

“Did you ever play this growing up?” Dinah asked. 

“No,” Helena said, “It wasn’t really a game lying around for a ten-year-old and a seven-year-old.”

Dinah snorted. “Sorry, did you only play croquet at the palace?”

Helena rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t croquet.”

“Golf?”

Helena took a sip of her beer. “Shut up.”

Dinah laughed. “Okay,” she told Helena. “So how you play is—“

“I know how to play,” Helena said, offended. 

“You just said—“

“No, but I know  _how to play._ ”

“Okay, but you don’t  _know how to_ _play_.”

Helena blinked at her. “The fuck does that mean, I don’t ‘ _know how to play_ ’?”

Dinah sighed. “There’s a strategy.”

“Fuck off, they’re colored tiles.”

Dinah surrendered. “Fine,” she said, then began to deal the money.

“Why do you have the money?” Helena asked. 

“I’m the banker.”

Helena eyed her suspiciously. “How do I know you’re not going to take money for yourself when I’m not looking?”

Dinah lifted her eyebrows. “Wow, really? That’s where our relationship is? I love you too, damn.”

Helena rolled her eyes. “Alright, I trust you.”

“You better.”

Dinah finished dealing the money, Helena not-so-secretly counting hers to make sure Dinah gave them the same amount, then Dinah handed her one die to roll to see who would go first. 

Helena went first. Dinah watched as Helena carefully counted her little car across the board. She chose the car carefully, after debating with herself and holding the game up for ten minutes. Then, she told Dinah to be the dog, because the dog is cute and Dinah is cute. Dinah rewarded her with a kiss for that one. 

And then Dinah thought Helena freakin’ cursed her little puppy somehow. Helena zoomed her way around the board, and Dinah landed on ‘Go Directly to Jail’ three straight times she passed the yellow spaces. 

“What the fuck?!” Dinah cried when she landed on the space the third time. 

Helena tsk’ed. “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”

“What has my crime been for three straight turns?!”

Helena put a gummy worm in her mouth and sucked it up. “Jay-walking,” she then said. 

“That warrants three trips to jail?!”

“Any worse, you get a visit from...” Helena punched her left palm with her right fist. Dinah assumed Helena meant that the worse criminals got visits from the Birds. 

Helena looked the exact opposite of a crossbow killer, wearing Dinah’s black workout leggings and a purple crop top, lounging back on one hand, dangling a gummy worm over her own mouth. 

Dinah laughed at her love. “Yeah. I’m trembling in my boots.”

“Trembling in shackles, criminal.”

Dinah rolled her eyes, then she rolled the dice. She did not get out of jail then. 

Helena was freakishly lucky at getting high rolls, so she got around the board a lot quicker than Dinah. She bought almost every space she landed on without any reasoning behind it. She just handed Dinah money and accepted the card. 

By the time Dinah made it around the board once, Helena had a a brown space, a pink space, a red space, a yellow space, and a green space. 

Dinah was so frustrated. Not only was she barely around the board and went to jail three times already, but Helena was buying random crap and Dinah wasn’t getting a chance to even monopolize. 

Helena bought Boardwalk while Dinah was across the board on a Chance. 

“What the fuck?!” Dinah cried. 

Helena looked innocent with half a worm hanging out of her mouth. “What?”

“You’re not...” Dinah sighed in frustration. She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter. Because it didn’t. It was just a game. 

But she was losing, and she was getting pissed. 

Dinah rolled the dice and moved. She bought an unoccupied orange space, with hopes of purchasing all three orange spaces so she could get some houses down—

Helena rolled doubles twice, then avoided the third double with a land on the orange space right behind Dinah. 

Dinah muttered, “Don’t fucking—“

While Helena casually said, “I’ll buy it.”

“Son of a bitch!” Dinah cried. 

Helena looked at her with wide eyes. “What?”

It really didn’t matter, and Dinah knew she was just frustrated because she was losing, but she still didn’t stop herself from shouting, “You’re not doing it right!”

Helena looked confused. “What?” she asked again. 

“You’re supposed to buy spaces to put down hotels, and to do that you need all the spaces! You’re not supposed to just buy random spaces!”

“I’m monopolizing—“

Dinah’s blood pressure was rising as they spoke. “You _monopolize_ with hotels!”

“Am I not controlling the board?!”

“But you’re not—“

“I’m spending money, and that’s the  _point_ . That’s how companies monopolize, they spend money, and—“

“They spend money on specific properties and goods, which is what you’re  _supposed_ to—“

“You’re  _supposed_ to stop your opponent from succeeding. You’re  _supposed_ to block their chances of expanding their corporations!” 

Later, Dinah would have no idea why Helena made her so mad. Really, it was because Dinah hated losing. And she hated that Helena was winning with no strategy. She wasn’t even going it right. 

Without thinking, Dinah picked up the edge of the board and threw it over Helena’s head. Luckily, there were only two dice and two pieces on the board, along with a few random bills that were in the center of the board for Free Parking. 

Helena ducked her head to avoid the few flying pieces. 

When the board landed, Helena poked her head out of her arms. She was laughing. 

“You’re a sore loser,” Helena chuckled. 

Dinah picked up a handful of gummy worms and threw them at Helena. Not hard. Just angrily. 

Helena laughed harder. “Jesus, Canary.”

Dinah shook her head. “You did this on purpose.”

“Did what?!”

“You purposefully bought every random piece—“

“Yes! I was  _playing the game_ !” 

“You were being fucking annoying, that’s what you were doing!”

Helena laughed. Dinah threw another handful of gummy worms at her. 

Helena reached up and dug her fingers into the back of Dinah’s thigh. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but Dinah’s leg buckled. Helena did it to the other leg and Dinah fell on top of her. 

Dinah was still mad. She was so annoyed. She hated losing. Fuck that. 

Helena was laughing. She kissed Dinah’s chin. 

“Don’t try the kisses,” Dinah warned.

“The kisses work,” Helena argued. She kissed Dinah’s neck. 

Dinah pushed Helena’s shoulders back. Helena had to let go of Dinah’s thighs to catch herself on her hands. 

“The kisses won’t work this time.”

“Why? Because you’re a sore loser?”

Dinah rolled her eyes. 

Helena laughed right in her face. 

“We can play another game next time,” Helena said, “And you can win.”

“I don’t want you to let me win,” Dinah said.

Helena picked up a thrown worm and stuck half of it in her mouth. She stretched up in offering. 

Dinah couldn’t help but lean down to bite the other half of worm, her lips meeting Helena’s when she bit the candy. 

Helena smiled smugly when Dinah sat up again. 

Dinah cupped Helena’s cheeks. “Don’t act so smug.”

“What? I won the game and won a kiss.”

“You did not win, the game never ended.”

“I was winning when you decided to throw a fit—“

Dinah climbed off Helena and grabbed the board. She grabbed two new pieces and tossed their old money aside to begin handing out new money. 

“What are you doing?” Helena asked. 

“I’m winning this time,” Dinah said. 

Helena laughed, picking up a worm from the floor and eating it. “Fine, but now we both have a strategy.”

Dinah glared at her as she counted the money out. 

Helena was acting smug, but two could play a careless game. Dinah would win this time.

Hopefully. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am Dinah. I like order and strategy. My sisters are Helena. Who purchase everything they land on just to piss me off.


	52. Movie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Spoiler for the movie ‘Citizen Kane’. If you’re dying to not be spoiled, don’t read.
> 
> Also, I hate that movie for this exact reason. 
> 
> Sorry if it’s your fav.
> 
> :)

Helena wanted to be more cultured than just what her friends knew. When it came to television and movies, Dinah, Harley, Cass, and even Renee recommended she watch comedies, cartoons, and even a few musicals. But Helena wanted to know more.

Google was often her best friend. Helena searched for and saved a list of the greatest films of all time. 

She had heard of many of the movies, of course, but when she was young, she didn’t care for old black and white films. Now, she just wanted to know. She wanted to see them. 

The first on most lists was Citizen Kane. She remembered her father used to like the movie, so she was a little bit more intrigued to watch it. 

Dinah was not interested. 

“Black and white movies are boring,” Dinah complained. 

“You liked Casablanca.”

Dinah frowned. “But this movie is stupid.”

“Then I’ll watch it alone,” Helena insisted. 

Dinah frowned. “Fine, I’ll watch it.”

Helena wanted to argue that she really didn’t have to, but Dinah insisted. 

Half an hour into the movie, Helena saw why. 

Dinah was snuggled up to her side, and soon her hand began trailing up and down Helena’s thigh in a subtle and seductive way. 

“Stop it,” Helena warned.

“Or what?” Dinah asked. 

Helena squeezed her thighs together tight. 

Dinah’s hand went to her stomach, where she lifted Helena’s shirt and touched her abs. 

Helena flexed, not entirely by accident. 

Dinah chuckled, then turned her head and kissed Helena’s cheek. 

“I wanted to watch this movie,” Helena said as Dinah’s hand traveled up to her bra under her shirt. 

“Wanted?” Dinah questioned. 

Helena smiled, then kissed Dinah fully. Dinah groaned as she leaned back and pulled Helena along with her.

The movie was quickly forgotten. 

Helena thought it was worth it. 

Two nights later, Helena tried to watch the movie again. Dinah agreed again, though Helena didn’t know why. 

Forty-five minutes later, Dinah had Helena’s jeans undone and shoved down her thighs with her head in Helena’s lap and Helena knew why. 

Would Dinah ever stop being so distracting?

Helena hoped not. She was fine with never finishing a task again in her life if Dinah had her way. 

Helena tried to watch the movie again three nights after that, and that time it wasn’t even Dinah’s fault that they didn’t get through it. Or maybe it was her fault, because she decided to put on tiny workout shorts and one of Helena’s crop tops. Like that wasn’t going to be distracting. Helena had her on the floor next to the couch before the credits even began rolling. 

Dinah finally had to go to work, and Helena thought that was the perfect opportunity to watch the movie. No distraction. No Dinah. No Dinah lips. No Dinah fingers. No Dinah body. No Dinah—

Helena watched the movie intently. It was...alright. Kind of boring. Maybe Dinah was right, black and white films are boring...

But Helena made it all the way through. She got to the end, anxious about the reveal of ‘Rosebud’, wondering where the story was going to go...

And then.

It ended.

So stupidly!

What the fuck! Helena was mad! She was upset! She felt deceived! 

What the actual fuck!

Helena got off the couch. She grabbed her jacket and stormed out of the house. 

She rode her bike down to Dinah’s bar. She parked in the street, when she would usually park next to Dinah’s car. 

Helena stalked into the bar. She roughly threw the door open and stomped through the floor. She practically threw her helmet into a stool and sat on the stool next to it. 

Dinah was in front of her in a second. “Well?”

“It was a fucking sled?!”

Dinah laughed. “I told you it always stupid.” 

“It was a FUCKING SLED.”

Dinah laughed again and put a glass in front of Helena. She reached over and grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels, then poured Helena a little bit. 

“Fucking sled...” Helena kept muttering as Dinah walked away. 

Helena just glared at her glass and tried to process the movie. Every few minutes, Dinah would go by and kiss Helena’s cheek or head. Anywhere on her face she could reach. 

Helena decided to keep to comedies for a while, even classic comedies. She couldn’t handle any more serious movies. Not after fucking Rosebud. 


	53. Cooking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: smut!
> 
> Thank you for reading

Helena liked to cook. She was taught young how to prepare her own meals. She learned quickly when something was burning and how to be careful with knives, in addition to deciding how much of an ingredient a dish needed and what would taste good. 

Dinah did not like to cook. Not only was she terrible at it, but she lacked the patience to put effort into a good meal. Helena could make an amazing sauce from scratch, whereas Dinah would dump a jar of tomato sauce into a pan and heat it up a bit. Helena could chop onions so fine that Dinah couldn’t even complain that they were included in the recipe, whereas Dinah would give up halfway through and just forget about a certain ingredient altogether. 

What Dinah liked was cooking with Helena. 

It wasn’t really that she helped or gave any sort of assistance, but she liked to hang around and pretend to help. Helena would give her easy tasks that Dinah would pretend to be bad at so Helena would take over again. 

Dinah was not a good assistant. 

But Helena liked her around, too. Helena liked sharing space with Dinah, getting close, lettingDinah taste-test from her own fingers. It was a nice time to spend together. 

Helena was making chicken marsala, and Dinah was “helping”. 

“Want to slice mushrooms?” Helena asked, offering a knife to Dinah. 

Dinah frowned. “Can I pour some wine instead?”

Helena rolled her eyes. 

Dinah kissed her cheek and grabbed a bottle. 

Helena began to chop the mushrooms after she put the chicken in the pan. 

Dinah offered a drink from her glass. 

“I don’t even get my own glass?” Helena asked. 

“I didn’t know you wanted one yet!”

“Here I am, slaving away—“

Dinah handed Helena her glass. “Here, take mine. Give me that.”

Helena traded Dinah the knife for the glass of wine, then Dinah took over chopping mushrooms while Helena stood to the side. 

“I worry about what you did for meals before I came along,” Helena observed. 

Dinah laughed. “I could get by.”

“Grilled cheese for every meal?”

“Hey. You like my grilled cheese.”

Helena laughed. She stepped behind Dinah and put a hand on her hip, the other hand still holding the glass. 

“I like you,” Helena said, nuzzling her neck. 

“Are you saying you don’t like my grilled cheese?”

Helena laughed again. “I didn’t say that.”

Dinah took Helena’s hand, the one holding the glass, and brought the glass to her lips. Helena was still tickling her neck. 

After Dinah got a drink, she shrugged Helena off. “Let me finish.”

Helena stepped away to refill the glass. Then, she took the chicken off the stove and tossed some butter into the already hot pan. 

Dinah helped again by adding the mushrooms. She grabbed the glass from Helena’s hand. 

“We have more glasses,” Helena mentioned, taking it back after Dinah had a small sip. 

“This was my glass to begin with,” Dinah argued. “You stole it.”

Helena lifted an eyebrow. “I stole it?”

“You stole it,” Dinah repeated. She reached for the glass. 

Helena childishly stuck her tongue out and licked the rim of the glass. She smirked like she was winning a game. 

Dinah shook her head. “I know where your tongue has been. I’m not worried.”

Helena grinned more. “Oh, yeah,” she said, looking down Dinah’s body. 

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll get a new glass.”

She reached for the cabinet with the glasses, but Helena beat her to it. 

“I’ll get it,” Helena said, “I know you’re too small to reach.”

Dinah playfully punched her arm. “I am not small!”

“So tiny,” Helena teased. “Here you go, tiny.”

“Two inches,” Dinah muttered before pouring her second glass. 

Helena reached for it. 

“You have one!” Dinah cried, pulling her glass out of Helena’s reach. 

“That one has more.”

Dinah poured a little bit more wine into Helena’s glass. “Voila.”

“Magic,” Helena said in awe. 

Dinah smiled. “You’re a nerd. Stir your mushrooms.”

Helena smiled back, then did as Dinah said. As if Dinah was in charge of the meal. 

When the mushrooms were nice and brown, Helena added the shallots, garlic, and salt. 

“Do you want to stir?” she asked Dinah next. 

“I’ll mess it up.”

Helena looked at her seriously. “It’s...stirring.”

Dinah sighed. “Fine, but when your stuff here ends up all wonky, don’t blame me.”

Helena snorted. “Wonky.”

“Yes, wonky.”

Helena smiled wide. “Who the hell says ‘wonky’.”

Dinah glared at her. “I do.”

“Okay,” Helena said sarcastically. 

Dinah shoved her. 

Helena let Dinah stir a little bit while she added the wet ingredients. 

Dinah watched, enthralled. She always liked watching Helena cook. She always liked watching Helena do anything. Helena had a way of giving a task her undivided and concentrated attention. Helena looked so fascinated and fascinating when she was zoned in on something. With her eyebrows knit together, her eyes focused, and sometimes her tongue poking out between her lips, she looked incredible. 

Dinah liked watching when something was under Helena’s watchful eyes. She liked to be what Helena was focused on most of the time. 

“How long?” Dinah asked. 

“Maybe...twelve minutes.” Helena set the timer next to the stove. 

“Twelve minutes, huh?” Dinah asked. Watching Helena, she knew just how she could spend that time. 

Helena nodded. 

Dinah ran a finger down Helena’s smooth, muscular arm. “Quite a lot could happen in twelve minutes.”

Helena was stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. “Oh yeah?” she asked absentmindedly. 

Dinah wanted to distract her. She shifted her hand to Helena’s back, continuing her feather light touch. 

“A lot.”

Helena glanced at her. “Like what?”

It was the wine. 

It was watching Helena do something as sexy as cooking. 

It was Helena herself. 

Dinah stepped behind Helena, placing her hands on Helena’s hips and kissing her shoulder. 

Helena turned the heat on the stove down when the liquid began to boil. She kept stirring. 

Dinah kissed the side of her neck, then bit Helena’s earlobe. “I bet...” she whispered in Helena’s ear. 

Helena slightly shivered and pressed back into Dinah’s arms. 

Dinah continued, “I bet I can make you come before the timer goes off.”

Helena dropped the spoon. 

Dinah chuckled. “Come on, you knew where I was headed.”

Helena stirred vigorously. “I wasn’t...positive.”

Dinah kissed the back of her neck. “So, that’s a no?” she asked. She was fully prepared to step away if Helena said no. If Helena wasn’t prepared or in the mood. 

“It’s not...not a no.”

Dinah pulled the collar of her shirt down and kissed lower between her shoulder blades. “I need a more specific answer than that,” she said against Helena’s skin. 

Helena pressed against her again. 

Dinah pressed fingertips into her hips. She glanced at the timer—nine minutes. Plenty of time. 

Helena set the spoon down and turned in Dinah’s arms. “Quick,” she instructed. 

Dinah smiled before pulling Helena in tight and kissing her. 

They stumbled against the island, tearing off clothes at random. Dinah moaned when she finally had her hands on Helena’s soft skin and grew more and more needy by the second, but she wanted Helena. She wanted her sexy chef to feel good, to make her come, so when they fell to the floor without a stitch of clothing between them, Dinah got Helena onto her back and trailed fingers down to her wet core.

Helena’s back arched off the floor when Dinah made first contact. Her legs spread wider to give Dinah more room, then Dinah carefully pushed a finger into Helena. 

“Oh fuck...” Helena sighed.

Dinah bit Helena’s bottom lip, sucking the plush skin into her mouth. Helena’s lips were kiss swollen and red, and so fucking inviting Dinah almost changed course.

But she couldn’t, not with Helena’s hips stuttering against the floor, pushing up against her hand. Helena gripped Dinah’s arm almost painfully and Dinah knew it was a plead not to stop. 

Dinah didn’t. She licked down to Helena’s neck and sucked gently as she pushed her finger in and out of Helena, adding another when she thought Helena was ready. 

“Fuck, yes,” Helena sighed happily, “Di...don’t...keep going...”

Dinah paused. “Don’t keep going...?” she asked, worried. 

“Don’t stop...fucking, you know what I mean—“

“Just making sure,” Dinah said, rubbing Helena’s clit teasingly, making Helena gasp. 

Then, Dinah pushed into her again. Helena’s back arched off the floor as she cried out. Dinah bit her chest, wanting to do something with her mouth. 

Dinah was so pleased. Her plan was going better than expected, Helena was about two seconds—

Helena grabbed Dinah’s head, but instead of bringing her face up for a kiss, Helena pushed Dinah’s face into her chest. Dinah caught a nipple between her teeth and sucked, causing Helena to cry out louder. 

Helena’s hips stuttered without rhythm on the floor, against Dinah’s hand, and when Dinah licked across Helena’s chest to the other nipple, Helena pulled Dinah’s hair and groaned long and loud. 

Helena’s body was tight as she came. Dinah didn’t stop moving, matching Helena’s thrusts as she rode out her orgasm. Dinah didn’t want to move at all, wanted to make Helena keep coming all night, but their food was probably almost ready. 

Dinah gently pulled out. She watched Helena’s face as she did, as Helena was slowly opening her eyes and taking count of events. She always looked so lost after sex, but beautifully so. Like she forgot for a minute. Like all there was in the world were two people making love on the kitchen floor on a Thursday evening. 

Dinah smiled down at her. “You there?” she asked. 

“I think so,” Helena said. 

Dinah chuckled. She kissed Helena’s chest. 

Helena wrapped her arms around Dinah. “I love you,” she said easily, despite still catching her breath. 

“I love you too,” Dinah answered. She stretched to kiss Helena’s soft lips. 

All of Helena was soft, the softest she ever was a time. The most relaxed. More relaxed than when she was asleep. 

Dinah could have stayed there all night, completely content, but the timer buzzed loudly from the stove. 

“Fuck!” Dinah jumped. 

Helena chuckled. “Right on time, I guess. 

Dinah rolled off Helena. Helena slowly stood. 

The woman didn’t bother putting clothes on as she added the chicken to the sauce in the pan. She skillfully arranged it all. Dinah laid back on the floor and watched the woman attached to that incredible ass work. 

When she finished, Helena turned to Dinah again. 

“Are you going to stay there all night?” Helena asked. 

Dinah let her eyes travel down Helena’s body. “It’s a good view.”

Helena stared back. “I’ve got a pretty good one, too.”

Dinah grinned. “Come back.”

“This will be done in, like, two minutes.”

“A lot could happen in two minutes.”

Helena raised an eyebrow. “I bet I could make you come in two minutes.”

Dinah spread her legs. “You’re on.”

Helena grinned and practically dove at her. 

Dinah did not come before the chicken finished because Helena decided to tease her relentlessly instead. Dinah didn’t even get a kiss, just sneaky fingers tickling sensitive parts of her skin, like the inside of her thighs and her peaked nipples. When the chicken was finished, Dinah was left ready and practically dripping for Helena. 

“You’re evil,” Dinah complained as Helena stood and turned the stove off. 

“I’m hungry,” Helena argued. “Now, eat your dinner, and if you’re good, I’ll eat you later.”

The words shot through Dinah. She bit her lip, squeezed her thighs together to relieve something, and groaned. 

Helena smirked. “Come on, get up.”

Dinah rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. 

They still didn’t bother dressing as they ate. Helena grabbed a blanket from the couch and they cuddled under it on the floor to eat their warm and delicious meal. They finished the bottle of wine and opened another while they talked, laughed, and ate. 

Much later, Helena made good of her promise. And Dinah realized more than she liked watching Helena cook, she liked watching Helena  eat . 


	54. Jealous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: jealousy. All in good fun.

The first thing Dinah felt about Helena was awe. In an instant, Dinah’s life was saved thanks to that killer with a crossbow. Dinah felt surprised and glad, completely thankful despite the insane moment they were all going through.

Then, Dinah felt surprised to learn of the killer’s true identity. She remembered the Bertinelli Massacre, most everyone in Gotham did. Though fifteen years had passed, it was still a part of Gotham history. Dinah was old enough to keep up with the mystery on the news. She didn’t know there was a survivor. She was shocked to know the survivor was right there. 

Dinah continued feeling surprised to hear Helena’s speech about her journey, about revenge. She felt strangely happy for her when Helena said she was finished. The relief in her voice. The ease. 

She did love Helena that first moment. Her anger was downright hilarious. That Helena was quietly fixing her makeup and yelling about a damn crossbow two seconds later was just fantastic. Dinah thought Helena was cool and she probably shouldn’t have laughed but Helena’s yelling was funny, it was so  cute . Why was it cute? Dinah didn’t know and it didn’t matter at the time. 

And then Dinah thought Helena was fucking  _ hot _ . Girl could fight. Sliding down the giant tube and stabbing a dude to death was the first look, and Dinah didn’t want to stop looking. Helena was cool. Helena was so fucking cool. 

She knew she was fucked in the middle of a fight. 

That was ages ago. Dinah hardly had to think about it anymore, because Helena was there for her, her alone, and would be for the long haul. Dinah knew she and Helena were in it, in it for life, even if there wasn’t a ring or the promise yet. They were set for life. 

Dinah knew all of these things about Helena: that she was surprising and cool and hot and funny...

That didn’t mean anyone else needed to know. 

Dinah was never jealous with past partners. With boys in high school, girls as a young adult, significant others sprinkled here and there, she wasn’t jealous. 

But fuck if she wasn’t jealous every time anyone even glanced in Helena’s direction. 

Initially, it was Harley. Dinah could tell Harley immediately had a crush on Helena too, who could blame her? Harley was annoying and Dinah wanted to tell her to back the fuck up pretty quickly during the first fight, but then at breakfast Helena sat across from  _ her _ . Helena complimented  _ her _ . Dinah knew she was safe. 

Everyone liked Helena. Why wouldn’t they? She was beautiful. She was tall, dark, and gorgeous, and she commanded a room just by walking into it. It was purely accidental, Helena didn’t care for attention, but how could anyone not pay attention to her? She was fucking perfect. 

So yes, everyone loved Helena, but nobody,  _ nobody _ , was as vocal about their attraction as Annie’s friends. 

Dinah and Helena were probably the first same-sex couple anyone brought into the group. 

There were the usual comments first:

“My cousin is gay, you know!”

“I was so happy when they passed the law!”

“I love the Pride section at Target!”

Those were normal and generic, words of kindness when someone had nothing else to say without straight up saying, “I’m okay with you being gay!”—which wasn’t even the whole truth anyway.

But then Dinah noticed something...else. Mixed with kind wishing words, there was...

Flirting. 

Someone touched Helena’s arm. “How often do you work out, Helena?”

Someone touched her t-shirt covered stomach. “What’s your diet like?”

Someone touched her hand. “Look at these long fingers...”

Dinah just watched like a pack of horny lions circling their prey. What the fuck? Like, she knew Helena was hot. She didn’t need other people to know Helena was hot. 

The party moved to the living room. Dinah sat on the couch and Helena leaned on the arm next to her. There was space enough for Helena to sit next to Dinah, and Dinah would have told her that, but that might invite someone to sit next to Helena. As it was, three women were surrounding Helena. If they were animals, Dinah could smell them sending off pheromones in Helena’s direction. She thought one of them was two seconds from whipping their tits out and climbing on Helena’s lap. 

And Helena had no idea.

“So you have a motorcycle?” one woman asked. 

“Nothing is sexier than a motorcycle,” another agreed. 

Dinah rolled her eyes. 

The third one lightly touched Helena’s hair. “Your hair is perfect length for...so much...”

“Oh my god,” Dinah sighed. 

“Do you want some of my fruit?” Helena asked down at Dinah. 

Dinah almost didn’t notice her voice. She looked up. The other three women were staring at her like they didn’t know Dinah was there.

“Sure,” Dinah said. 

Dinah thought Helena was going to let her take a grape off her plate. Dinah reached—

Nope. Helena picked up a grape herself and placed it gently in Dinah’s mouth. 

Dinah smiled around the sphere. Helena watched her like she was the only person in the room. 

One of the ladies spoke up. “My husband doesn’t treat me so tenderly.”

Dinah smiled wider. She almost said something crass and gross like, ‘he probably doesn’t fuck you like she does, either...’ But she didn’t. Not the time. 

Helena was attentive to Dinah more after that. When the three ladies backed off and went elsewhere, Helena finally found a good time to disappear to the bathroom. 

Then, Dinah was suddenly surrounded. Four women. 

“You are so lucky,” the first one said. 

“She just looks at you like you hung the moon,” the second added. 

“I wish my husband would—“ the third said. 

“What’s it  _ like _ ?” the fourth asked. 

“Jesus, Jen,” the first one smacked her arm. 

“Like you weren’t wondering—“

“Have you seen those muscles?” the second one added to the conversation. 

“Yes fuckin’ please—“

“I wish my husband—“

Dinah really couldn’t listen anymore. She really couldn’t listen to any more of these women with mediocre husbands thirsting for her hot girlfriend. She got up suddenly. 

Dinah was going to go in search of Helena or Annie or anyone else to talk to normally. When she got up and went toward the kitchen, she almost ranright into Helena. She was glad she didn’t, because Helena was holding a cup that sloshed. 

“Oh hey,” Helena said, “I got this for you.”

Dinah took the offered cup. It was a Diet Coke. Dinah smiled. 

“Awww,” the women watching sighed. 

Dinah smiled. “Thanks, honey.” Dinah gave her a little kiss. 

Helena smiled back after the kiss. 

For the rest of the party, Helena was right next to Dinah, touching in some way. The women still commented on how thoughtful Helena was to her partner and how sweet, often referencing how un-sweet their husbands were. Dinah just agreed. 

Helena held her hand on their way home. Dinah drove, like she usually did, but Helena didn’t let her go. 

“I’m really surprised you didn’t punch anyone,” Helena commented. 

“What?”

“At Annie’s. I’m surprised you didn’t punch one of those girls.”

Dinah scowled. “Why would I?”

“Because you were jealous.”

Dinah scoffed. “Why would I be—“

“Because they were flirting with me.”

“You knew?!” Dinah cried. 

“Uh, yeah. It was obvious.”

“Oh but when I was doing it—“

“Okay, that was a long time ago, and yes, I was completely clueless  _ then _ . But now I’m not, and I know—“

“You knew and you didn’t stop them—“

“I thought you would!”

Dinah rolled her eyes. She wasn’t really mad, not anymore. Not when Dinah was headed home with the woman. Not when Dinah would have her in her bed in, oh...twenty minutes.

“You’re ridiculous,” Dinah said. 

“Apparently I’m  sexy .” 

“Says who?”

“A dozen women at Annie’s party.”

“A dozen  married women whose husbands can’t satisfy them.”

Helena grinned. “I could.”

Dinah squeezed her hand.

“I could, but I wouldn’t!” Helena cried, trying to get her hand away. “Only you!”

“Fuck yeah, only me.” Dinah chuckled. 

Helena brought Dinah’s hand up to her mouth and kissed her palm. “Really shocked by your restraint to not punch someone, though.”

Dinah laughed. “It would be a scene. But if they keep getting handsier and handsier each time I see them, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

Helena laughed back. “I’ll wear something more revealing next time. Something from your closet.”

“Excuse me?! Are you saying there’s a problem with my clothes?!”

Helena just laughed. 

Dinah did have her in bed in twenty minutes. She cuddled up to her cute assassin tight and thanked everything that she was with Dinah. 


	55. S’mores

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You’ve never had a s’more before?!” 
> 
> I love s’mores. I have way more chill than Helena, though.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Helena was spoiled. Not by many things she grew up with—Dinah was glad—but many new customs that she’d grown to like. For example, she hated commercials. She was used to not having commercials thanks to Netflix and Hulu, but when having the news was practical and she got cable, all there was was commercials.

Something Helena hated about commercials was American traditions. Giant portions of fatty foods, fast food, candy, commercials for sweets and deals. She thought it was all so gross. 

“Hey, commercial watching is like an American past time,” Dinah commented when Helena changed the channel away from a McDonald’s commercial. “Just wait ‘til the Super Bowl.”

Helena was confused. “Why would I need to see the Super B—“ She paused suddenly. “Oh, what the fuck is  _that_?!”

Dinah looked at the television to see what monstrosity of a meal Helena was pointing out now. 

But now, it was not an all-you-can-eat buffet or a giant cheeseburger, it was a Hershey’s commercial for s’mores. Helena was glaring at the television like she was watching a pack of lions go to town on a dismembered carcass of a zebra. 

“What?!” Dinah cried. “You don’t know what s’mores are?!”

“That’s a real thing?!” Helena replied. 

“Dude, it’s like a staple of American childhood! What th—oh my god. Okay. We’re doing s’mores tonight. I bet you’d like them.”

Helena made a face at the television again. “I don’t think so.”

“Try it, at least. If anything, it’s  fun !”

Helena was so skeptical, but Dinah added s’mores ingredients to her shopping list anyway. 

Dinah picked up the chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers from the grocery store with the rest of their groceries. She also bought a small pack of fire wood and some newspapers to burn to make a small fire on the roof. She was excited to make semi-authentic s’mores, give Helena the real experience. Somewhat. The real experience would be to make s’mores while camping, but Dinah wasn’t down for that. She felt about camping the way Helena felt about commercials. 

Dinah decided to forgo dinner and make the s’mores while it was still a little bit light outside. She took the fire supplies and left the rest of the groceries on the island. 

“Put these away and come upstairs when you’re done,” she instructed Helena. 

Helena looked skeptical. “Okay...” she still agreed. 

Dinah ran up the fire escape and onto the roof. There were some bricks laying to the side from a forgotten project by another tenant, so she set some bricks in a small circle to be the barrier of her fire. Next, she laid some wood down and stuffed balled up newspaper into the cracks. Finally, she lit a piece of paper on fire and dropped it into the pile. 

Dinah picked at the embers with a marshmallow skewer she’d purchased and watched as the flames grew then dwindled, then she’d reignite a paper and toss it in again. 

“Oh god,” she heard behind her suddenly. 

Dinah turned around to see Helena with near horror in her eyes. 

“This seems like a bad idea,” Helena said next. 

Dinah lifted an eyebrow. Of all the stupid shit Helena did... 

“Oh really? Just yesterday you ran  _ toward _ someone shooting at you.”

“Not on the roof of our building!”

Dinah waved her off and poked at the little fire again. “It’ll be fine. My mom and I used to do this all the time. Just open that bag of marshmallows, crackers, and one of the candy bars.

Helena looked like she didn’t trust her, but Dinah didn’t know if the mistrust was over the fire or the sugary substances she was about to consume. 

But Dinah knew Helena would like it. If anything, Helena liked chocolate. Maybe not always crappy American chocolate, but it was still chocolate. 

Dinah got the fire going finally. It was a little thing but it was steady and it would get the job done. 

Dinah loaded her skewer with two marshmallows. “How many do you want?” she asked Helena. 

“Just one...” Helena said, eyeing Dinah’s stick with disgust. 

Dinah stabbed a marshmallow onto a stick and handed it to Helena. “Now,” she instructed, “You can burn your marshmallow as much as you want. Me? I like it crispy, but you don’t have to. The idea is to get it melted enough that it’s squishy, though.”

Helena squished her marshmallow. “It’s already pretty fluffy.”

“Yeah, I know, but you want to squish it in the cracker to fit it in your mouth. And to melt the chocolate a little.”

Helena nodded in understanding, then put her marshmallow in the fire. 

She left it about half as long as Dinah did, and considering Dinah didn’t expect the excursion to get this far, Dinah was proud. 

“Nice,” Dinah said. “Now I got your cracker ready and already put the chocolate on. So just put your marshmallow here...” She delicately placed her burnt marshmallow on the chocolate. “Then you just...” Dinah placed the other cracker on top of the marshmallow, squished it all together, then pulled the skewer out of the marshmallow. Everything stayed in place but for a string of melted marshmallow sticking to the skewer. 

Dinah knew Helena was watching as she took the first bite. Dinah loved s’mores, so she couldn’t help letting a delighted “mmm...” escape her throat. 

Dinah finally looked up. Helena was staring. 

“Your marshmallow is getting cold,” Dinah commented. 

Helena shook herself out of it—Dinah smirked—then slowly moved to place her marshmallow. 

“I’m trusting you,” Helena said. “After that...show.”

“If you hate it, I’ll eat it.”

Helena frowned. She got her s’more all ready to go, then brought it to her lips...

Dinah expected her to spit it out immediately, but to her surprise, Helena let out a moan of delight, too. 

“Holy shit,” Helena said immediately after, as she was still chewing. 

Instead of gloating, Dinah laughed. “Right?!”

Helena stared at the little snack in her hand. “H-how?! This shouldn’t be—“

“I know, I know! Isn’t it  _ heaven _ ?!”

Helena took another bite. Between chews, she muttered, “There’s no reason this should be so good. Why? Why is it so good?”

“Sugary goodness,” Dinah told her. “Pure sugary goodness.”

Helena finished her s’more in two more bites, then reached for some more marshmallows. “I’m going to try to burn it a little more,” she said before sticking it into the fire. 

“Go for it,” Dinah agreed. “I like it burnt. But if you don’t we can trade.”

Helena did like it burnt. In fact, she liked it so much that she ate two more after that. Dinah just watched in awe, wondering how Helena’s little pure stomach could take it. Girl had a developing sweet tooth, though, and Dinah was more than glad to help with it. 

After her fourth was consumed, Helena slumped back on the ground of the roof. Dinah was sure Helena’s stomach was slightly larger. Dinah looked down at her and laughed. 

“You good?” Dinah asked teasingly. 

“Why did you do this to me?”

“What did I do?! I wanted you to try  _ one _ !”

“It’s your fault. Introducing me to all this  _ crap _ .” 

“You don’t have to eat it. Here, have some water.” Dinah offered her water bottle. 

Helena waved her away. “Too full.”

“A fool, maybe.”

Helena frowned. 

Dinah sighed and laid down next to her. She reached over and rubbed Helena’s belly. 

“Poor baby,” Dinah said. 

Helena frowned deeper, playing it up. 

“I’ll take care of your dumb ass,” Dinah promised. 

Helena nodded. “Don’t let me eat junk ever again. Hide the Cocoa Puffs.”

“Oh, sure. That’ll go over well in the morning.”

Helena groaned. “I’m never eating again.”

“She says now.”

Helena groaned louder. Dinah laughed and rubbed her tummy. 

“Are you going to live?” Dinah asked. 

“Doubtful.”

Dinah kissed her head. “At least you got to try a s’more.”

“You won’t even miss me.”

“Of course I will. But I won’t be spending my time with a dumbass who ate four s’mores.”

“If you cared you would have stopped me.”

“Oh my gosh,” Dinah laughed. “You are so dramatic.”

“This is why I don’t watch commercials.”

Dinah laughed harder. “Oh my  _ gosh _ !”

Helena sat up abruptly. “I’m going to throw up.”

Dinah followed her. “You won’t. Just relax. Let’s go downstairs and go to bed.”

Dinah stood, then dragged Helena up. Helena groaned the entire time and looked miserable. Dinah almost felt sorry for her. She would feel more sorry if Helena hadn’t brought this upon herself. 

Dinah poured water on the fire to diminish it, then escorted Helena to the edge of the roof. She practically carried Helena down the fire escape and into the apartment, then to their bedroom. 

She laid Helena down delicately. “You gonna be okay?”

Helena nodded. “You are kind.”

“And  you are a dumbass. I’ll bring you some Tums.”

Dinah left the bedroom stifling a laugh the entire way. She couldn’t believe Helena. She couldn’t believe Helena ate four freakin’ s’mores. 

Dinah grabbed a fresh bottle of water and the Tums for Helena’s tummy. But when she returned to the bedroom, Helena was fast asleep. 

Dinah laughed as she kissed Helena’s forehead. “Sleep well, you dork,” she whispered to her girlfriend’s sleeping form before sneaking out of the room. 

Dinah spent the evening watching television and wondering if she could ever entice Helena to try a food from a commercial ever again. 


	56. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: blood
> 
> Helena has a nightmare.
> 
> Angst with a happy ending.
> 
> I have a super fluffy chapter up next. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

There was so much blood.

There always was. 

In every memory, every thought, it was the blood. It was the metallic smell. The light spatters against her skin. The brightness of it. The way it mixed with the water of her bath later and flooded the tub. It was the way it rained from her skin as she cried. 

There was so much blood—

Helena was shaking. Trembling. Seizing. Breathing hard—barely breathing. Holding her breath. Waiting.

For what?

Death. 

Salvation. 

Someone—

Mama was still holding her. 

Helena panicked. The body around her was tight. Mother was heavy and lifeless, and Helena was panicking. She couldn’t move, she was trapped, stuck on the ground under puddles of blood. The smell...everything burned—

She had to get out, get up. She threw Mother’s arm from off her and jumped up.

“Wow, what the fuck?” Helena heard as she clattered to the floor. 

She was breathing heavily, catching herself and waking up. 

“Baby?” Dinah asked into the dark. 

Helena was still panicking. The dream...nightmare...it was so real. So awful. The smell. The blood sticking to her skin. Her mother’s arm—

Dinah’s arm. Dinah’s arm wrapped tight around her as they slept in their big, comfortable bed. As they slept together for the thousandth night in a row, countless dreams together, holding each other closer than possible. Bound together with love—

Helena felt hate. Pure hatred once again, hate that hadn’t felt her heart in forever. 

Helena felt Dinah’s hand in her arm. She jumped away from the bed as Dinah retracted. 

“Honey?” Dinah whispered. “You’re okay. Can I turn the light on?”

Helena was still panting and didn’t answer, but it was okay that Dinah turned the lamp next to Helena’s bedside table on anyway. 

And then Helena’s heart stopped. There was blood everywhere, on her special pillow, the blankets, down her face and chest. 

Dinah didn’t make a noise, even though her eyes widened. There was even blood on Dinah’s body. She looked up at Helena and Helena realized the blood was coming from her. 

Helena touched her head, which was sweaty but not bleeding. Nose, then. Her nose was gushing blood. 

Dinah slowly climbed out of bed. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Helena’s body felt cold. She almost couldn’t move, but Dinah delicately grasped her arm and pulled her to the bathroom. 

Dinah was careful as she got Helena undressed and tossed her dirty clothes onto the floor. She was careful as she warmed water and got Helena under the spray. She was careful as she scrubbed Helena’s skin until it was pink from the hot water and soap. Dinah didn’t get in the shower with her, she just stood outside the shower and clearly didn’t mind her pajamas getting wet. 

Helena’s nose had stopped bleeding, and now Helena felt in a trance. Totally out of it. Like maybe the nightmare was reality and this was the dream. A dream of a beautiful wife taking care of her in their home. 

“What happened?” Dinah asked over the spray.

Helena shook her head. “I...I don’t know. I was just dreaming about...it.”

Dinah nodded. “Are you okay, now?”

Helena shrugged. “I think so. I...I don’t know.”

Dinah placed the soap on the tray and turned the water off. “You dry and I’ll go put the sheets in the washer, okay?”

Helena nodded. There was so much blood. Always so much blood—

Helena couldn’t go back to sleep. She couldn’t close her eyes. Their bed was soft and clean and fresh, but she was uncomfortable. She held Dinah close in thanks for taking care of her, but she didn’t feel right. 

Dinah yawned. 

Helena frowned. “You can go back to sleep.”

Dinah shook her head. “Gotta...make sure you’re okay...”

Helena kissed her head. “I’m okay.”

Dinah snuggled against her. “Tell me something.”

“Like what?”

“Anything.”

Helena had no thoughts whatsoever. What could she say after that? How can she just change the subject like that? How could she just forget about the blood, and the smell, and the burning, and the—

“What was your favorite food growing up?” Dinah asked. 

Helena was surprised by such a sudden question. But she instantly thought of sneaking into the kitchen late at night and stealing bites of whatever sweet was kept in the house. They didn’t have access to the sweets; the sweets were for guests and for their father. He had a sweet tooth. But he would share with Helena. He had a stash of super expensive and delicious chocolates in his office, and Father would pull little Helena onto his lap and share a candy with her. Mama didn’t like them to eat sweets, not with her family’s health history, but Father said kids needed to be kids. Kids needed chocolate. 

“Chocolates,” Helena finally said. 

Dinah snorted. “I’m not surprised.”

Helena didn’t want to explain that it was the specific chocolates. The chocolates she ate while sitting on her father’s lap. Expensive chocolates, sent from Europe probably. More sacred in their house than imported Cuban cigars and thousand dollar French champagne. 

“I didn’t eat candy again until I moved back here.”

Dinah snuggled further against her. “Did you watch television growing up?”

Helena was sure they’d had these conversations a hundred times before. She was sure she’d told Dinah a thousand times that they didn’t really watch television. She and Pino were always outside, always playing. Or reading. Or helping. Or pretending to help. Helena had said that before. 

“Not really,” she said anyway. 

“What did you do instead?” Dinah asked dreamily. 

Helena thought she was almost asleep. She spoke anyway. “I liked to help cook. I helped the chef prepare meals more than my mother liked.”

“The  _ chef _ ,” Dinah mocked. 

“More like a...kitchen housekeeper.”

“A fucking chef.” Dinah laughed. 

Helena cracked a smile for the first time. 

“What kind of foods did you prepare with the  _ chef _ ?” Dinah asked. 

“Uh...well, my brother loved grilled cheese. So grilled cheese.”

Dinah smiled against her chest. “I love grilled cheese.”

“I know,” Helena said. The first time Dinah asked for a grilled cheese sandwich, years ago, Helena only forced herself to make one as therapy, to get over it. She didn’t want a sandwich to control her life so much. She didn’t want a sandwich to make her crumble. 

“You make really kick ass grilled cheese sandwiches,” Dinah said through a yawn. 

“You want one now?” Helena asked. 

“It’s, like, three in the morning.”

Helena shrugged. 

Dinah shook her head. She moved her head to kiss Helena’s chest. “You don’t want to try to sleep?”

Helena shook her head. “I can’t.”

Dinah held her close. “Keep talking.”

Helena didn’t know what else to say. She moved her hand to run her fingers through Dinah’s hair. 

Helena thought about the day she and Dinah got together. How relieving it was. How everything suddenly felt complete. How her world was whole again. How she had a hole in her heart that she didn’t know needed to be filled until she met Dinah. Dinah made her feel better. Dinah made her feel love for the first time in a long time. A different love, obviously. True love. 

Helena didn’t realize she had said all of those things out loud until she felt Dinah’s tears on her chest. 

“Are you okay?” Helena asked. 

Dinah nodded. “I’m wonderful. Just like you.”

“Like  you ,” Helena replied. 

Dinah kissed her chest again. “I want to help you feel better forever. After every nightmare.”

“Good thing for this then,” Helena said, lifting Dinah’s left hand off her stomach and twisting her wedding ring. 

Dinah was smiling. Helena kissed her head. She felt better, not that she could go back to sleep. 

“You sleep,” Helena told Dinah after Dinah yawned. 

“Will you stay here?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. “Yes.”

“‘Kay. I love you, baby.”

Helena wrapped her arms around Dinah right. “I love you, too.”

Helena did feel better. The nightmare a distancing memory. The woman of her dreams in her arms. It was wonderful. 

Dinah’s body sagged and her breathing got deeper. Helena still couldn’t fall asleep, but she daydreamed about Dinah. She did feel better. She was so thankful for Dinah. Nightmares years ago were torturous. But with Dinah...

Dinah helped. 

Helena squeezed her. She felt content. 


	57. Halloween

Dinah often wondered at what age she was “too old”. Too old to fight crime. Too old to drink without throwing up. Too old to get away with wearing bralettes and blazers. In years and years, maybe, hopefully. But Dinah did settle on being too old to go out for Halloween.

Not only was Halloween for children—or so she thought—going to big parties just wasn’t fun anymore. Years ago, even last year, it was fun to dress up and hit a bar with raging music and free flowing liquor. But this year...

They were strolling their usual convenient store, walking up and down the Halloween isle. Halloween was days away and there wasn’t much to see, just leftover decorations and the truly crappy costumes. 

“So...you don’t want to go out Saturday?” Helena asked. 

“No...” Dinah said. “Is that alright?”

“Oh, you know how much I  love going out.”

Dinah knew Helena was being sarcastic, so she rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Okay, usually. But it’s Halloween. If you felt like going out because of that, I would. But I think we should just chill and watch a scary movie or something.”

Helena nodded. “Sounds good to me. Should we get some candy?” She picked up a giant bag of assorted chocolates. 

“Oh, for the trick-or-treaters in our building?”

Helena blinked. “..............yes.”

Dinah quickly realized she did not have the children in mind whatsoever. She laughed. 

“Well,” Dinah said, “Now I know you planned on eating it all. Might as well get two bags.”

Helena didn’t need to be told twice. She quickly grabbed an equally gigantic bag of gummy candy.

Dinah rolled her eyes. “If you get sick, it’s on you.”

“You always take care of me.”

“I won’t this time,” Dinah said, turning away from Helena and walking away with the cart. 

“Liar,” Helena said after her. 

Dinah shook her head and kept walking. Helena trotted to catch up. 

“I’ll just point and laugh at you,” Dinah said when Helena was next to her. 

“You won’t.”

Dinah raised an eyebrow. 

Helena was smiling. Dinah knew she would be taking care of Helena in a few days when Helena decided to eat too much leftover candy. 

Halloween finally arrived. They had three movies picked out: Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Three classics. None of the new haunted doll crap. The good ol’ slasher flics. 

Plus, Dinah didn’t trust ghost movies. Just...bad vibes.

Helena had two bowls of candy ready; one to eat and one for passing out should any children knock on their door. 

“You know,” Dinah observed as Helena slipped onto the couch, “You could just...share your bowl.”

Helena blinked at her and said nothing. 

Dinah held up her hands. “Okay, okay, sorry.”

With a little chuckle at her insane love, Dinah pressed play on the movie. 

Helena tore open a mini Kit-Kat and stuck the whole thing in her mouth. Dinah stared at her out the corner of her eye.

Helena glanced at her. “You could not stare, you know?” 

Dinah looked at the television again. “Fuckin’ weirdo.”

Helena kept eating the candy, one chocolate after the other, as the movie played. They got about ten minutes in before there was a soft knock on the door. 

Usually, Helena would not answer the door, of course. She’d jump off the couch and grab her bow, then wait in silence for the feet shadow below the door to leave. 

Maybe that was a sign of how ready they were for a Halloween in, how much they’ve grown up, because Helena paused the movie and jumped up, grabbing the second bowl of candy instead of her bow. Dinah laughed as Helena ran to the door with a mouthful of mini Snickers bar. 

Helena threw the door open. Dinah turned on the couch to watch.

“Trick-or-treat!” the kids yelled. Dinah could see three small children. 

Helena gasped. “Wow! You guys look incredible! Let’s see, a football player?”

“Uh-huh,” a little boy answered. Helena grabbed a giant handful of candy and dropped it into his bucket. The little boy’s eyes were comically wide. “What?! Thanks!”

Dinah facepalmed. Helena had zero chill, as usual, but she was glad that they hopefully wouldn’t have a ton of candy leftover. 

“And you, sir, are a ballerina?”

Dinah heard another little boy speak up. 

“Yeah, my dad wanted me to be a football player too, but I didn’t want to.”

Helena nodded as she listened. “I wouldn’t want to be something I don’t like, either.”

The little ballerina eagerly held his candy bag open. He rolled back and forth on his toes. “I know!” he said dramatically. “I was like, ‘Dad. When have I ever wanted to be a football player?!’ And he was like, ‘Halloween is to dress up as something you’re not.’ And I was like, ‘Well I’m not a premiere ballerina, so I guess I’m doing it right!’”

Helena laughed at his little speech. The kid was dramatic, and Dinah knew Helena was bonding. She always bonded with kids anyway, but another little dramatic person? 

Helena grabbed an equally gigantic handful of candy and dropped it into his bag. “Well, you look awesome.” She finally turned to the little girl in the group. “And you are...Hmm...”

The little girl sighed. “Hello! I’m Wonder Woman!”

“Wonder Woman?” Helena asked, playing dumb. “Who is that?”

“You don’t know Wonder Woman?!” the little girl cried. “She’s only the coolest, most awesome super hero in the whole world!”

Helena held the bowl of the candy on her hip. “Ever heard of Black Canary?”

Dinah facepalmed again. 

“My friend knows her!” the little football player cried. “And Huntress!”

“Yeah?” Helena asked. “Huntress isn’t that cool, but Black Canary is the coolest.”

Dinah laughed to herself. She grabbed a mini Hershey bar and popped it in her mouth while Helena kept talking to the kids. 

“Wonder Woman is the coolest,” the little girl argued. 

Helena tsk’ed. “We’re all entitled to our opinion. But Black Canary can fight really well and she isn’t even an Amazon or anything. She’s just a normal person.”

Dinah made a face at that. Normal?!

“She doesn’t even have a power?” the girl asked, sounding unimpressed. 

“Oh no, she does,” Helena answered. “She can scream and knock out anyone in her path.”

The ballerina looked at the girl. “Sounds like you when mom tells you to clean up.”

The little girl huffed. “Well. Wonder Woman is the best.”

Helena nodded. “Okay, fair. Black Canary is way prettier, though.”

“Prettier than Wonder Woman?!” the football player asked. 

Helena nodded. She grabbed a handful of candy and dropped it into the little girl’s bucket. 

The little girl didn’t look thankful for her candy, probably because Helena essentially argued with her. 

“Thanks, lady!” the football player said instead. The ballerina agreed. 

Helena smiled at them. “You’re welcome, guys. Happy Halloween.”

“Happy Halloween!” the little boys yelled as they jumped away, but the little girl just stomped after them. 

Helena shut the door and replaced the bowl on the island. It was more than half empty. 

Dinah stared as she walked back to the couch, unwrapping a lollipop and shoving it in her mouth. Dinah stared as Helena plopped down next to her and grabbed the remote. Dinah stared as Helena pressed play again and leaned back, throwing an arm around Dinah’s shoulders. Dinah stared until Helena glanced at her and noticed her staring. 

Helena lifted her eyebrows in question. 

“Normal?” Dinah questioned. 

“At least I said you were prettier than Wonder Woman.”

“You said I was  normal .”

Helena rolled her eyes. “Want me to find the kids and tell them how abnormal you are?”

“You’re abnormal, maybe.”

“So, then you’re  normal .”

Dinah laughed. “What flavor lollipop is that?”

“Orange. Want a taste?”

“No, I’m—“

Helena’s arm around Dinah’s shoulder pulled her in and Helena suddenly stuck her tongue into Dinah’s mouth, kissing her deeply and passionately. Dinah let out a shocked moan but kissed back. Helena tasted like orange and chocolate from the candies she’d eaten before the lollipop. 

Helena kept kissing her, and Dinah felt it everywhere. Helena always felt so good; she made Dinah’s body sing no matter where the touch was. Dinah would never tire of kissing her. 

She would, however, back away when Helena’s hand holding the sticky lollipop came up to cup her cheek. Dinah was not dealing with that getting stuck in her hair, so she pulled away. 

Helena chased her lips, but Dinah kept backing away. 

“Watch that sucker,” Dinah instructed, pulling Helena’s hand away from her face. 

Helena smirked. “Watch your sucker,” she said, glancing at Dinah’s lips. 

Dinah rolled her eyes. Someone screamed from the television. Helena quickly looked at the screen. 

“What is happening?!” Helena asked. 

“Well, you would know if you didn’t have to come over here and stick your tongue down my throat.”

Helena popped the lollipop back into her mouth. “Well,” she retorted, “How am I supposed to resist you when you’re prettier than Wonder Woman?”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Just watch the movie.”

Helena leaned over and pressed a sticky kiss to her cheek. Dinah almost said fuck the movie and just dragged Helena to bed, but she knew Helena would want to be ready for any more trick-or-treaters. 

As they watched the movie, Helena made fun of how dumb they were, making Dinah laugh. Dinah felt giddy not only from the fun but from the excessive intake of sugar. But she didn’t mind. They were enjoying themselves, going out or not. 


	58. Birthday (Again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dinah’s birthday!
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Helena didn’t know how to celebrate birthdays. Not anymore. When she was younger, they’d have huge parties for their birthdays. There would be a ton of food to feed a ton of people, many people she never even knew because they were friends of her parents. But there were always children running around and playing, and always a ton of presents.

Now? As an adult? Helena didn’t know the first thing about birthdays. 

Dinah’s surprise on her birthday was wonderful. The cake itself wasn’t the best she’d ever eaten, but Dinah made it with her own two hands; it was a true gift from the heart. Helena was thoroughly surprised. She loved it. 

Helena figured surprises were a big part of birthdays, so she set forth to give Dinah a big surprise of her own. 

Dinah had a late night at the bar, so Helena knew she’d sleep late. Helena knew she had plenty of time to get what she needed. 

Thankfully, Helena had enough thought to buy Dinah’s present weeks in advance. She pulled out the box from her closet of already wrapped gifts: books, bath bombs, a new fluffy blanket, lipsticks, and special snacks, all things Dinah loved. Dinah warned Helena to not get her anything expensive, so Helena didn’t. She just got her a bunch of inexpensive things. Which was different. 

After she made sure all the gifts were ready, Helena got dressed and left the apartment. She borrowed Dinah’s car, because she had a few things to buy and couldn’t carry it all with the bike. 

Her first stop was for breakfast at a little bakery next to the florist she found a few months ago. She bought a few bagels and a few croissants, then a cheese danish for Joe, the florist. 

She got next door to the flower shop. 

Joe was busy with another customer, so Helena wandered the shop to pick out what she wanted. 

Helena had bought Dinah flowers twice before, and both times she’d bought different flowers. The first time, it was a dozen roses, and the second time, it was orchids. Both times, Helena just thought they were pretty, and both times Dinah liked them enough. But she didn’t say they were her favorite. So, this time Helena decided to go with tulips. They were gorgeous and fresh and perfect. 

Finally, Joe made it to Helena with a big smile on his face. 

“Good morning, Miss Helena!” he greeted. 

Helena smiled. “Good morning, Joe.” She reached into her pastry bag for his cheese danish. 

“Ah, my child, you are a gift! Don’t tell Maggie.”

Helena still didn’t know who Maggie was, but she still agreed not to. 

“What can I do for you?” Joe asked around a mouthful of danish. 

“Uh, a dozen tulips. What do you think?”

“I think they’re the best pick I have today,” Joe said proudly. “Good choice. Let me wrap them.” Joe finished his danish, licked his fingers, then lifted the flower pot out of the water pot to pick a dozen by the counter. 

“So, what’s the occasion?” Joe asked as Helena kept wandering the shop. 

“It’s Dinah’s birthday,” Helena answered. Joe didn’t know Dinah, but she still talked about Dinah like everyone in the world knew her.

They should know her. 

“Oh, these are perfect then!” Joe said. “She’ll love them. What else have you got up your sleeve for her birthday?”

Helena shrugged. “Nothing really. I’m getting a cheesecake and I’ll make dinner tonight. Nothing big.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Joe said. “My best birthdays are when Maggie and I stay in. Maggie’s, too, but that’s because I don’t have a romantic bone in my body.”

Helena laughed. “Well, a day just the two of you sounds like a good day.”

Joe finished wrapping the flowers and told Helena the price. Helena handed over a hundred dollar bill and told him to keep the change. 

“Helena—“

Joe shook his head and opened the cash register. 

Helena quickly picked up the flowers. “I’m not taking it.”

“Helena!”

Helena was already by the door. “Thanks, Joe!” She heard Joe tsk as she exited the shop laughing. 

The next stop was at another bakery—a cake shop—for the cheesecake. Dinah liked cheesecake, so Helena knew it was a good choice. She bought a package of candles as she paid for the cake, then left the shop. 

Helena had one last stop to make, and that was to their favorite coffee shop. Dinah loved the shop’s lattes, and she knew Dinah would be thrilled to be surprised with one. 

Helena’s turn in line arrived and she walked up to the counter where a young man was waiting to take her order. He smiled, actually he smirked, at her when she walked up. 

“Hey girly,” he said, “What can I get for you?”

“Uh, can I get a black coffee—“

“Hot?” he asked.

“Yeah, hot. And a caffé latte.”

The man lifted an eyebrow. “Hot, like you?”

Oh, god, Helena thought. She realized he was...flirting. Or trying to. It was not going well. 

“Uh...yeah,” she said. 

He rang up her order, but didn’t tell her how much it was. “What’s your name?” he asked. 

Helena was hesitant. She didn’t want to share anything with this guy. 

“For your order,” he added. 

“Oh...” Helena frowned. “Uh, just H.”

“I can’t get your name?” he asked next. 

“No, just H.”

“Can I...get your number?”

“I...don’t want to give you my name...and you think I want to give you my number?”

The man chuckled. “Tough girl, huh?”

“Can I just get my coffees?” 

“And you’re double-fistin’ it, huh? Taking the black for your...boyfriend?”

“No, that one’s mine.”

He snorted. “Your guy drinks lattes?”

“I don’t have a guy,” Helena argued. “Can I just get my coffees?”

The man clicked something on the cashier screen. “Okay, mysterious H...” He told her the price and she handed over cash. He grazed her hand for a second too long. Helena was a second away from breaking his fingers. 

Helena didn’t wait for her change, she just rushed away from the counter, feeling incredibly uncomfortable and all around not okay. She didn’t like men talking to her. She didn’t like anyone talking to her, but mostly creepy men. 

Thankfully, the barista who called for ‘H’ was someone else, so Helena was able to take her coffees and run. 

Helena didn’t let the encounter ruin her day. She had Dinah to get home to, and she hoped she wasn’t too late. She wanted to be there when Dinah woke, if not wake her herself. She loved seeing Dinah when she first woke up. Dinah was gorgeous, even though she herself claimed she wasn’t gorgeous first thing in the morning. But Dinah was perfect, with messy hair and a crease on her cheek from the pillow. But she was warm and soft and Helena just loved squeezing her tight while she was just so. Once, Helena told her it was like eating fresh bread right out of the oven...

Dinah didn’t love that analogy. 

When Helena got home, Dinah was still asleep. Helena cut a giant piece of cheesecake, one for them to share, placed one candle in the center, then got a tray with their coffees and set the flowers on it, too. She carried all of it to the bedroom, set the tray on Dinah’s bedside table, then lit the candle. 

Helena’s plan was almost complete, but now she didn’t know how to wake Dinah. Tap her shoulder? Shake her? Just start talking like Dinah told Helena not to do anymore...

Helena decided to straddle Dinah’s waist. She was on her back, so Helena fit perfectly. 

Dinah stirred, as one would with over a hundred pounds suddenly sitting in their hips. She groaned and turned her head. 

Helena smiled down at her. “Happy birthday to you...”

Dinah sighed.

“Happy birthday to you...” Helena sang louder. 

Dinah’s face cracked into a smile. Her hands gripped Helena’s thighs. 

“Happy birthday, dear Dinah...” 

Dinah’s hands slid up to Helena’s hips. 

Helena finished the song. “You’re perfect and I love you.”

Dinah laughed. “That’s not how it goes,” she said sleepily. 

“That’s how mine goes. Open up.”

Dinah slowly opened her eyes. She smiled widely when Helena held the cheesecake slice over her face. 

“Better blow the candle out,” Helena warned. 

Dinah sat up. Helena scooted back on Dinah’s thighs. 

“Don’t forget to make a wish,” Helena said. 

“Why? I’ve already got everything I’ve I ever wanted.” She leaned in and kissed Helena. 

Helena quickly backed away. “The candle!”

Dinah laughed, then blew out the candle. 

Helena kissed her cheek, then moved to set the cake down. As she did, she picked up Dinah’s latte. 

“Ugh,” Dinah sighed. “You’re too good for me.”

“That’s you,” Helena corrected. 

Dinah smiled as she took a drink from her cup. Helena slid off Dinah and reached to pull the box of presents from next to the bed. 

“What the hell?” Dinah asked when she saw the dozens of wrapped gifts. 

“You told me not to get you anything expensive.”

“So...” Dinah shook her head. “Babe, that’s...” she sighed. 

Helena sipped her coffee and said nothing. 

Dinah looked in disbelief. “Fine. But can we eat the cake?”

Helena nodded. She looked away to replace her coffee and grabbed the two forks and cake again. 

“Uh, honey?” Dinah asked. 

“Hmm?”

“Who’s Dave?”

Helena was confused. “Who’s what?”

Dinah lifted her coffee cup to show Helena a name and phone number scribbled on her cup. Helena practically growled when she realized it was the guy from the coffee shop, the barista. 

“Who...?”

“The barista,” Helena said. “He was trying to hit on me.”

“Should I be jealous?” Dinah asked. 

“Absolutely not. He was an ass.”

Dinah laughed. “And he survived in one piece?”

Helena sighed. “He shouldn’t have. But he didn’t actually do anything, he was just annoying. He said I was hot.”

Dinah chuckled. “He wasn’t wrong.”

Helena rolled her eyes. “Just open your presents.”

Dinah smiled widely as she reached for the first one. 

Helena was excited as she watched Dinah open all of her presents, and Dinah was thankful after each one. She covered Helena’s face with thankful kisses, and Helena loved every second of spoiling Dinah, no matter how silly and small the gifts were. 

They spent all day lounging around at home, because that’s what Dinah wanted for her birthday, to just be home with her favorite person. 

It was the best day Helena had. 


	59. Bachelorette Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve written their wedding, but that will be tomorrow. For now, the bachelorette party...

Deciding on a whim to get married the day after their engagement should have been some kind of a sign. Any kind of sign, whether it be good or bad.

The sign came from the universe early the following morning when Dinah called the courthouse to make an appointment and was disappointed to find that they don’t do weddings on Friday’s.

“The fuck?” Dinah sighed as she hung up the phone, thanking the receptionist for penciling them in for Monday. “No weddings on Friday’s? The hell kind of rule is that?”

Helena made a face. Was it a sign? A bad sign? A sign to wait?

Dinah spoke before Helena could voice her concerns. “You know what this means, right?”

You realizing you do want a big wedding and making us wait forever to actually get married? Helena wanted to ask. 

Dinah grinned. “Bachelorette parties.”

Helena was instantly relieved, then just as quickly worried. “Wait, what? What do you mean?” 

Her only ideas of bachelorette parties were from movies where the couples went off by themselves and got into mischief right before the wedding. Their “last hurrah”. Helena didn’t feel that way. She wanted zero hurrah’s. 

Dinah laughed. “Relax, babe. I don’t expect us to go full Hangover. Just hitting a bar or something. A small party.”

Helena was still worried. The only other thing she knew about bachelor or bachelorette parties was—

“Do we have to go to a strip club?”

Dinah just looked at her. “Do you  _ want _ to go to a strip club?”

“No.”

Dinah chuckled. “Then no, man. We don’t even have to have a party. It’s totally fine. Just an idea.”

Helena felt relieved. 

Dinah stepped up to her and wrapped an arm around Helena’s neck. “I don’t want you going around seeing any naked chicks.”

“What about that time we had to go watch your friend?”

“Well, that was different. We still support our sisters, you know.”

Helena didn’t truly understand, but she knew she didn’t want to see anyone else nearly-naked, either. 

Dinah kissed her cheek. “Let’s just go out, have a little fun. Invite Annie and Renee, because they’re going to be our witnesses anyway.”

Helena nodded. She was more open to the idea of being with Dinah, so it was fine. It would be fine. 

They decided to go out on Saturday, since Sunday isn’t that exciting. When Annie arrived at the apartment, she had two gift bags, one for each of the brides. 

“What did you get?” Dinah questioned as she opened her gift. 

“Just a little something...”

Helena hesitantly opened her gift, too. She was surprised to pull out a t-shirt, but by the time she got hers out of the bag, Dinah was already showing hers off. 

“Bride!” Dinah laughed, holding up a white t-shirt with dainty silver font written on it. 

Helena unfolded her t-shirt and saw it was the exact same shirt except black. 

She...hated it. 

Annie rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to wear it.”

“I’m wearing mine,” Dinah insisted. She ripped off the shirt she was wearing and slipped the other one on. 

Helena frowned. “Well, now people are going to think you’re marrying someone else. Like I’m just your...your...best man.”

“That’s not what they’re called when they’re women,” Dinah playfully argued. 

Helena glared. “You know what I mean.”

Dinah sighed. “Fine, I’ll take it off—“

Helena felt bad. Annie went through the trouble of getting them these stupid shirts to wear for this exact reason. Helena thought...she could brave it for a few hours. 

She sighed back. “No, I can wear it.”

Dinah practically lit up. “Really?!”

“You act like I do nothing to make you happy.” Helena took off her own shirt, even under Annie’s watchful eyes, and pulled the ‘Bride’ shirt on. 

Dinah hugged her once she was dressed. “You do everything to make me happy.”

“Yeah,” Annie agreed. “She dropped marriage hints and twelve months later, here we are!”

Helena glared at her over Dinah’s shoulder. 

Annie just laughed. “I know you guys have, like, one friend—me—but are we it?”

At exactly that moment, there was a knock on the front door. Helena would usually demand nobody answer it and quickly grab her bow, but she knew Renee was on her way. She must have just followed a neighbor in. 

Sure enough, Renee called through the door, “It’s me, open up.”

Dinah let Helena go to answer the door. “Renee is joining—“

She opened the door to freakin’ Harley’s wide and glittery smile. 

“And Harley...” Dinah practically groaned. 

“Oh, Canary, you love having me around,” Harley said. “And you owe me for not inviting me to your nuptials.” 

“We didn’t invite anyone,” Dinah argued. 

“You invited the cop and this chick—“ Harley smiled at Annie. “Hi, honey, I’m Harley.”

Annie shook her hand. “We’ve met.”

Harley let her go. “That’s nice. We’re meeting my girl, too. You’ll love her, she’s a scientist, and—“

Annie spoke again. “Am I the only straight person you all know?”

“Yes,” all of the other women answered. 

“...okay,” Annie said quietly. 

Dinah focused on Harley again. “Fine, you can come on one condition.”

“What’s that, sweetie?”

“You cannot hit on my fiancé.”

Harley looked at Helena. Helena wanted to hide behind Dinah, but she didn’t move. 

“Fine,” Harley finally said. “But only because my girl will be there—“

“No, because it is our bachelorette party.” 

Harley grinned. She patted Dinah’s cheek. “Canary, Canary. Let’s just have fun.”

* * *

For some reason, they let Harley choose where to go. She picked a club that was raging and spilling with people, but everyone was delighted to find they were mostly women. 

“Is this a lesbian bar?” Annie whispered as they all took stock of their surroundings. 

“Relax, we don’t bite,” Renee joked. 

“That’s the bisexuals,” Dinah replied, then her and Harley high-fived. 

Helena couldn’t help but laugh. Dinah smiled at her and kissed her cheek. 

“First round’s on me!” Harley cried as they got to a surprisingly empty table. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a credit card. 

Helena’s eyes widened. “That’s my card.”

“Okay, okay,” Harley conceded. “First round’s in Huntress.”

Helena rolled her eyes. “At least give it back.”

Harley handed the card over. “No fun, Bertinelli.”

A waitress came to them before Helena could reply. 

“Hey girls,” she said in a friendly voice. “What’re you all having?”

Harley ordered first, then they went around the table: Renee, Annie, Dinah, then Helena. When the waitress finally got to the couple, she gasped. 

“Are you guys getting married?!”

Dinah nodded. She held out her hand to show off her ring, which Helena learned in just two days was something she loved to do. It made her wish she’d gotten Dinah the ring sooner. 

“My god! What a rock! Congratulations!” the waitress said. “Shots on the house, ‘kay? I’ll be back!” With that, she stepped away from the table. 

Annie looked pleased. “See?! The shirts were a good idea!”

Helena just nodded. Dinah smiled at her, then lifted Helena’s arm and slid under it. She snuggled close to Helena, and Helena knew she’d be content for the rest of the night. 

Harley’s girlfriend arrived while they were being served their second round. She introduced herself as Pam, a scientist, and Helena thought she was just a bit...off. But she wasn’t as eccentric as Harley and finally distracted Harley, so they all welcomed her in. Plus, when she ordered a round of shots for the table, she didn’t try to use Helena’s credit card to pay for it. 

The club had a dance floor and an area for bar games, and once Helena had two drinks and two shots in her, she agreed to dance. Dinah dragged her out to the floor and held her close as the music pumped along the floor and the lights struck every line and angle of Dinah’s face. She looked radiant, as she usually did, and Helena tried to loosen up to match. 

It wasn’t hard. They laughed and continued to drink and take shots for what seemed like hours. Helena spent time to kick everyone’s ass at pool, then they’d dance, then they’d drink, then they’d fall together to rehydrate at their table that hadn’t been stolen by any other parties. 

“Are you having fun?” Dinah practically yelled at Helena over the music. 

Helena nodded. “I really am.”

Dinah smiled widely. “Good!” She grabbed Helena’s face and pulled her in for a sweet kiss. 

Helena was content to kiss Dinah forever, right there at their table at the bar, but suddenly they heard cheering behind them, so Dinah pulled away first. 

Helena followed Dinah’s gaze to see Harley clapping wildly from where she stood with the rest of the party at the pool tables. 

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Fuckin’ clown.”

Helena chuckled. 

“Gotta do another shot!” Harley called to them. 

Helena realized...

“Has she been making us do a shot every time we kiss?”

A smile slowly spread across Dinah’s face. “Finally, she’s useful for something. And now, I’m drunk enough for a great idea...”

The next shot ordered was tequila, complete with a salt shaker and a lime. 

“Open up,” Dinah practically purred as she picked up the lime. 

Helena’s mouth fell open. 

Dinah placed the wedge between her teeth, then licked her own finger. Then, she spread the moisture across Helena’s pulse point on her neck. Helena shivered at the touch. 

Dinah tilted Helena’s head just a little bit to sprinkle a little bit of salt on the wet spot, and Helena would have bit her lip in anticipation but the lime was stuck between her teeth. Instead, she groaned quietly when Dinah sucked the salt from her neck. 

Dinah quickly took her shot next, then bit the lime that was in Helena’s mouth. Juice spilled over Helena’s tongue, but it didn’t matter when Dinah took the peel from her and spit it onto the table. 

Dinah smiled. Helena felt dazed. Or turned on. Or drunk. Or all three. 

“You good, killer?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. 

Dinah leaned forward and kissed her. 

Before their kiss could deepen, Harley yelled, “Crossbow’s turn!” behind them. 

Dinah slid out of their table to join the other women at the pool table, to Helena’s disappointment. As soon as they joined, a shot glass was thrust into Helena’s hands and she drank it before there would be any other distraction. 

The night progressed in sweat and drinking, and finally Helena woke up and had no idea how she got home. 

She was rarely ever hungover, but goddamn she was glad they decided to have a bachelorette celebration on Saturday and not the night before they were to actually get married. 

Helena couldn’t even sit up. She had never felt so bad. When she peaked her eyes open against the room’s bright light, she saw Dinah naked next to her. She realized she was naked, too. Who got their clothes off? She hoped Harley didn’t...

The room spun overhead. Helena began to panic. 

“Baby...” she sighed, slapping Dinah’s arm next to her. 

Dinah groaned. 

“I think I’m dead,” Helena said. 

Dinah groaned again and turned over. “You’re not dead.”

“I am.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.”

Dinah sat up to turn onto her back. Her blankets fell away, and Helena couldn’t even appreciate the view. She was dead. 

Dinah laid down again. “You’re hungover.”

“I’m  _ dead _ . I’m  _ dying _ .”

“I’m too young to be a widow,” Dinah replied. “And your life insurance isn’t even up to date.”

Helena looked at her. “Wait, what?”

Dinah chuckled. “You’re gonna be fine. Gimme a minute and I’ll get up to get you something. Don’t get up naked. Everyone’s in the living room.”

“H-how...when...how—“

Dinah laughed. “You’ll be okay.”

Helena didn’t feel okay. 

Dinah made good of her promise and got up about ten minutes later. She didn’t get dressed, just wrapped the sheet around herself before leaving the bedroom to retrieve a few bottles of water, Gatorade, and Tylenol. 

Helena was somehow able to sit up to drink the water and take the Tylenol. She choked a little bit as she chugged the water. 

Dinah laughed as she watched her grimace. “What a wonderful way to spend our wedding eve. Trying not to vomit on our bed.”

Helena flopped back down. “I hate this. I hate you.”

“You don’t.”

“You let me get that fucked up.”

“You’re the one who kept kissing me, welcoming the shots.”

Helena cuddled up to her. “I couldn’t help it.”

“Could’ve saved it for the wedding. The wedding night.”

Helena groaned. She’d be lucky to survive until the wedding. 

“You’ll survive,” Dinah said. Helena didn’t realize she’d voiced her concerns out loud. 

“I doubt it.”

Dinah laughed. She leaned over and kissed Helena’s bare shoulder. 

“I love you, you fool. You’ll feel better in a few hours, and then we can get ready to get married tomorrow.”

Helena knew she would survive. She’d need to survive, to finally marry Dinah. 


	60. Married

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smut at the end. A little bit. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

It was almost midnight. Helena had finally emptied the entire contents of her stomach, including the gallons of alcohol she’d consumed, and finally felt like herself. Dinah, exhausted from taking care of her all day, was dozing gently next to her. Helena knew she should sleep too, but she was too excited. Excited for tomorrow.

For tomorrow. 

_ Tomorrow _ . 

Tomorrow was the day, the big day. The day they’d been waiting for since—

Well, four days ago when Helena proposed. 

_ Tomorrow _ .

She’d said, not anticipating the courthouse not handing out marriages on a Friday. Monday, they agreed, then began the countdown of the seconds. 

It was then that Helena wondered why she hadn’t proposed the second she met Dinah Lance. 

Helena watched Dinah drift to deep sleep. Her girlfriend, her fiancé, who in about ten short hours would be her  wife . 

Never mind being a skilled assassin, Helena had grown into an accidental romantic, who knew just what to say at the right time. Words spilled out of her as she watched Dinah’s chest rise and fall with sleepy calm breaths. 

“Tomorrow I will marry you. Tomorrow I will promise to love you forever. Tomorrow I will promise to take care of you. Tomorrow I will—“

Dinah sighed and shifted in her sleep, her head lolling to face Helena. “Save it, then.”

Helena chuckled. “I’m just excited.”

“Could’ve married me when I first brought it up a year ago, but whatever.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Dinah smiled at her without opening her eyes. Helena instinctively smiled back. She pushed hair out of Dinah’s face. Dinah pushed into her touch. In fact, Dinah shifted closer so she was laying on Helena’s pillow. They were nose to nose, and Dinah’s arm was over Helena’s shoulder and her fingers were scrubbing through Helena’s hair. 

Helena felt exhaustion rush over her as she watched Dinah contently fall back to sleep. Dinah’s fingers didn’t stop moving, and Helena was sure that part of why she was falling asleep so fast. 

Helena’s last thought before drifting to sleep was the excitement to fall asleep next to Dinah for the rest of their lives. 

* * *

Helena was awake when the sun was peaking through the cracks of the Gotham skyline. She wanted to get up and begin her day, perhaps run out to get herself and Dinah breakfast, maybe grab some flowers...

She stared at Dinah. The woman who would be her wife in five hours. And she couldn’t bring herself to leave her side. 

Instead, Helena wrapped an arm carefully around Dinah’s shoulders and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to fall back to sleep to not waste a moment of her day without Dinah. 

* * *

Helena woke again to her alarm blaring through the bedroom. She knew Dinah had set an alarm for 8. Dinah groaned and groped around for her phone, but Helena knew it was her phone. She threw an arm out from under her covers and smacked her phone on the bedside table. 

She was still asleep, still groggy for her extra nap, but as soon as she realized what the alarm was waking them up for, she was alert and awake. 

“Get up!” Helena practically yelled down at Dinah. “Get up!”

Dinah groaned again. “Oh, god.”

“Come on, let’s go get married.”

Dinah sighed. “You’re going to be a hundred times more annoying today, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Helena instantly answered, poking Dinah’s side. 

Dinah rolled away from her, ending on her stomach away from Helena. 

Helena quickly followed, throwing a leg over Dinah’s waist to hold her in place. 

Dinah groaned out a laugh. “You’re insufferable.”

“And you are marrying me.”

Dinah smiled widely. “Well...”

Helena shifted to climb completely on top of Dinah. She laid over her back and pressed her weight down to squish Dinah. Dinah huffed all the breath from her lungs in a long groan. 

“I can’t wait to annoy you for the rest of our lives.”

“Mmm, that should be in your vows.”

“Oh, no,” Helena nudged Dinah’s ear with her nose. “I know exactly what I’m going to say.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Helena nodded, her nose brushing Dinah’s cheek. She slipped lower and kissed Dinah’s shoulder. 

“What are you going to say?” Dinah asked. 

Helena’s hands trailed up Dinah’s side, tickling her ribs and making her jump. Dinah tried to push Helena off her, but Helena’s stong body didn’t budge. 

“I can’t tell you what I’m going to say,” Helena reminded her. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“No,” Dinah sarcastically said, “I haven’t been thinking about marrying you for a year and have no idea what I’m going to say.”

Helena laughed and kissed Dinah’s shoulder again. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”

“In fifty years, our grandkids will ask me, ‘Grandma, tell me the story of your wedding.’ And I’ll be like, ‘Well, your other grandma didn’t want to marry—‘“

“I  do ,” Helena argued. 

“Well,  now —“

And then Helena realized what Dinah said. She lifted her head to smile down at Dinah. “Our grandkids?”

Dinah was smiling, but she bashfully buried her face the pillow. 

Helena kissed her cheek. “I didn’t know we were bound to have grandkids.”

Dinah shrugged. “Maybe we’ll pick some up along the way.”

“Just grandkids, though? Not kids?”

“Just grandkids,” Dinah agreed.

Helena laughed. “Don’t know how that’ll work.”

Dinah shrugged again. Helena kissed her shoulder. 

Before Helena could kiss her again, make Dinah turn over and resume the kisses, another alarm sounded in the room. This time, it was Dinah’s phone letting them know it was 8:20. 

Helena bounded from the bed as Dinah reached for her phone. Dinah rolled onto her back and Helena appreciated the view for a second before she remembered they needed to get ready.

“I’ll shower first,” Helena announced before going into the bathroom. 

Dinah stood from the bed. “I’ll just join.”

Helena poked her head out the door. “Excuse me, I’m getting married today. No hanky panky.”

Dinah laughed as she followed Helena into the bathroom. 

* * *

The officiant was in a meeting late. Dinah, Annie, and Renee sat on a bench outside her office, and Helena paced back and forth in front of them. She was impeccably dressed in a navy blue dress suit, and Dinah had on a beautiful gray dress. Neither of them wanted to wear white. Helena’s dress shoes skidded on the floor as she turned around to pace the other direction again. 

Dinah sighed. “Please sit down.”

Helena paused in front of her. “How? How can you be so calm? This must be a sign, a sign that today...today is no good, and—“

Dinah checked Renee’s watch. “It’s fifteen after. A  sign,  if I believed in one, should’ve been waiting a year for you to fuckin’ propose—“

“I  said I’m sorry—“

Annie held up her hands between them. “A sign is fighting on your wedding day. Now, shut up, sit down, and stop worrying. We have all day.”

Helena took a deep breath and stepped to the bench. Annie scooted away from Dinah to leave enough space for Helena to sit. Dinah lifted Helena’s arm to wrap around her shoulder. 

“Oh, how sweet...” Annie said. “Let me see your phone.”

Confused, Helena handed her phone over. Annie got up, waved for Renee to get up, then stood back to take a picture of Helena and Dinah. 

They must have had neutral looks on their faces, because Annie glared at them. “At least act like you like each other.”

Dinah chuckled. She leaned further into Helena’s arm, grabbed the hand that was over her shoulder, and turned her head to kiss Helena’s cheek. Annie got a photo right then. 

“Perfect,” Annie said, handing Helena her phone so she could see. 

Helena smiled at the photo. Dinah grabbed Helena’s chin and pulled her in for a better kiss. 

Dinah pecked carefully at her lips. Then she whispered, “Calm down. It’s fine.”

Helena nodded. She squeezed Dinah where she was holding her. 

Finally, about five minutes later, the judge’s office door opened and the lawyers in the meeting filed out. Helena jumped up as soon as they exited, and Dinah was slightly slower with rising. The judge peeped out the door and smiled widely at the waiting couple. 

“Come on in, you two.”

Helena grabbed Dinah’s hand, took a deep breath, and followed the judge. 

“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting,” the judge said. “You know lawyers, talk-talk-talk.”

Dinah chuckled. Helena was feeling stiff suddenly. Nervous. And why? She was ready. In a few short minutes she would be married to Dinah.  Married . 

Today . 

_ Now _ . 

“Ready?” the judge asked. 

Helena nodded. Dinah smiled at her. Helena felt at ease, like it was just herself and Dinah in the room. Just the two of them. Marrying each other after what seemed like an eternity of being ready for it. 

An eternity of waiting since the moment they met, the moment Helena realized she was in love with her best friend, the moment they kissed, the moment Helena realized yes, marrying this wonderful woman was going to be the highlight of everything she’d lived for. Dinah was why she got to survive. Love was why she was standing there in front of that woman. 

The judge’s words were barely heard as Helena stared at Dinah. She couldn’t look away; Dinah looked radiant. She looked happy. She was glowing. Helena felt proud that she could make Dinah feel that way. 

“I do,” Dinah said suddenly. 

Shit, Helena thought, better pay attention. 

“Do you, Helena Rosa Bertinelli, take Dinah Laurel Lance, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have—“

“I do.”

The judge sighed. “I’m not finished.”

“Oh,” Helena tore her eyes away from Dinah. “Sorry.”

“As I was saying,” the judge said, “Do you take Dinah Laurel Lance to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to honor and respect, from this day forward so long as you both shall live?”

Helena lifted her eyebrows at her in question. 

“Now, you can say it.”

“I do,” Helena replied. 

Dinah chuckled. 

Helena cracked a smile at making Dinah smile. 

“May I have the rings, please?” 

Annie handed the judge the two rings, then she opened her palm for each woman to take each other’s. 

“These rings are a symbolic reminder of your daily love for one another. With these rings, you promise every day to have love and commitment to one another. By placing them on the other’s finger, you make this promise.”

Dinah took Helena’s bare left hand. Dinah had her engagement ring on, and the wedding band would fit next to it, but Helena’s hand had previously been bare. The time was now, when everything fell into place, and she felt complete.

Dinah blinked up to Helena’s face, looking into her eyes. She was smiling. Helena smiled back. 

“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wife...and wife,” the judge chuckled. “You may now kiss your bride.”

Helena wasted no time. She grabbed Dinah’s face and pulled her in for a hard, smashing kiss. 

“Jesus Christ,” Renee muttered behind them.

Dinah laughed against her mouth. Helena was smiling too, and she softened her lips to give Dinah a sweeter peck, one of love and joy. Dinah’s hands were on Helena’s waist. 

Everything was perfect. 

After the courthouse, the four went to lunch, and by midday they were back home. 

Helena paused before opening the front door. She turned to Dinah and leaned against the door.

“What are you doing?” Dinah asked. 

“I’m just thinking.”

“About?” Dinah asked, sliding close to Helena to wrap her arms around her neck. 

“When we were here this morning, we were just... fiancés . And now we’re  married .”

“I know,” Dinah laughed. “Wild, isn’t it?”

Helena nodded. “I’m just...surprised.”

“Surprised? You’re the one who decided we’d be crazy and get married four days after getting engaged.”

“I wanted to get married the day after we got engaged. The courthouse is just shit.”

Dinah laughed. She looked at Helena expectantly. “Well?”

“Well?”

“Are we going to stand in the hall forever?”

Helena grinned. “Should I carry you?”

“Don’t you fucking—“

Helena lifted Dinah anyway. She put Dinah in her arms and handed Dinah her key. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Dinah said, laughing the entire way. 

Helena just carried Dinah to their bedroom. 

* * *

  
Later, with sweat cooling on their skin and a loving glow wafting through the room, Dinah stroked Helena’s back with her fingertips. Helena was content, if not exhausted, and snuggled deeply into her pillow in comfort. 

“Hey,” Dinah whispered. “We never exchanged vows.”

“Hmm,” Helena sighed. “That’s right.”

“A shame. Mine were super romantic. You would have cried.”

“Yeah? Tell me now.”

“Well, now it’s a lot less romantic. Naked, come sticking to my thighs—“

Helena laughed. “Well, when you put it so crudely.”

Dinah smiled. “I have an idea. Why don’t we write down what we would have said, and next year, for our one year anniversary, we open the letters and read them.”

Helena smiled widely. “I love that idea.”

Dinah moved. “I’ll get some paper—“

Helena reached out and gripped Dinah’s arm. “Later. I’m not done.”

“Not done—“

Helena pulled her in, tight next to her, and pushed a thigh between her legs. Dinah spread her legs wide and welcomed Helena in. 

“Fuck...” Dinah sighed as Helena moved. 

“The gist,” Helena whispered between thrusts, between Dinah’s groans of pleasure. “Was that I love you. And I’ll always love you.”

Dinah squeezed her limbs around Helena tight. “I love you...” Dinah sighed. “I love you so much.”

Helena kissed her lips, sucking on her tongue. She pushed against Dinah roughly. She grabbed Dinah’s hand and held it tight. 

Dinah’s free hand shifted all over Helena, scratching down her back and grabbing everywhere. Helena felt so good and loved making Dinah feel so good. 

Dinah’s back arched off the bed as she thrust her body up at Helena, seeking friction. Helena gave to her everything she had, and finally Dinah cried out, stilling around Helena and Helena knew she was done. 

When Dinah finally relaxed, Helena let go of her hand but Dinah still squeezed her tight. 

“Have I told you I love you?” Dinah panted. 

Helena kissed her chin. “I’ve heard it once or twice.”

“I’ll never stop telling you.”

Helena kissed Dinah’s chin again. “Deal.”

That night, Helena slept contently next to her wife, and it was the best night’s sleep she’d ever had. 


	61. Groceries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Roommate prompt where one roommate can’t pay for something.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Dinah moved in four days ago, and in that time it had been wonderful. Dinah was a fantastic roommate—not that Helena was even slightly worried about their compatibility when Dinah moved in. But, it was pleasant to find that Dinah was clean, gave Helena the space she needed, and felt comfortable already. Dinah didn’t take advantage of Helena—her money—and agreed to split the utilities bills that would come up in a few weeks. Dinah also helped pay for meals if they ate takeaway. 

The one and only thing Dinah complained about was Helena’s lack of groceries. 

“I have groceries,” Helena argued. 

Dinah opened the refrigerator, revealing a bottle of grape Gatorade, a Red Bull energy drink, and a case of water bottles. 

“We have water,” Helena said. 

Dinah moved to the cabinet next to the refrigerator. She opened the first door to reveal a box of bran cereal and a box of spaghetti noodles.

“No sauce,” Dinah commented. 

“I make my own sauce, thank you very much.”

Dinah glared at her. “With what groceries?”

“I just pick up what I need.”

Dinah shook her head and sighed, exasperated. “I’m making a list and going shopping. We need food. Real food. Fruits, vegetables, eggs, bread. You know.”

Helena frowned. She felt like she was disappointing Dinah. She wondered if Dinah was actually mad. Why would she be mad? 

“Are you mad?” Helena couldn’t help but ask. 

Dinah paused in her list writing and looked up. “What? No, of course not.”

Helena felt relieved. 

“I just think we are adults who can manage a fully stocked kitchen. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Helena shrugged. “I guess.”

Dinah continued writing her list. “Anything you like in particular?”

Helena shook her head. 

Dinah looked at her. “Nothing? No food you can’t live without?”

Helena shook her head again. 

“What’s your...favorite fruit?”

“Oranges.”

Dinah wrote. 

“Favorite vegetable?”

“Cucumber.”

Dinah added that. 

“Favorite sweet?”

Helena didn’t say anything. 

Dinah looked up. “You know, like candy, or cakes, or cookies? Oreos? Pop-Tarts?”

Helena shrugged. 

“Have you...ever had Oreos?”

Helena frowned. She didn’t want Dinah to bring up feeling sorry for her, or actually feel sorry for her. She diverted her gaze from Dinah. 

Thankfully, all Dinah said was, “You’ll love Oreos.”

Helena truly didn’t know if she would. But she trusted Dinah. 

Dinah filled up five post-it notes of items to purchase from the grocery store, then she grabbed her keys off the island. 

“I’ll be back,” Dinah said. 

Helena reached into her pocket. “Here.” She took out her credit card and handed it to Dinah. 

Dinah looked from Helena’s face to the card in her outstretched hand. “What?”

“Take my card.”

Dinah kind of glared at the plastic in her hand. “No.”

“No? But they’re my groceries—“

“They’re mine too,” Dinah said, sounding offended. “I don’t need your money.”

Helena knew Dinah must’ve been running out of money. Being as how she still hadn’t found a job and the only expense alleviated was her apartment, Helena was sure Dinah was running low on funds. 

Plus...Helena wanted to take care of Dinah. She wanted Dinah taken care of. She would have given Dinah half of her fortune, all of the fortune, if it had been acceptable. She wanted Dinah to never have to worry about money again. 

She couldn’t say that, not yet. Not when they hadn’t been friends long enough. Not when she worried that Dinah would think she was a weirdo. Not when she was still learning the proper etiquette on how to treat a friend. 

Threaten to kill a guy? Acceptable. Tell your friend you want to take care of her? Maybe take a step back. 

“But—“ Helena began, but didn’t know what to say. 

Dinah crossed her arms. “But, what?”

“I...” Helena tried. “You...”

“I, what? You have money and I don’t? I can’t even afford groceries and you’ve got, what, your ten-thousand dollar bike?” 

“No,” Helena mumbled. “That’s not what I—“

“I’m not using your money. I’m not using you for your money.”

Helena slowly pulled her hand away, knowing she had upset Dinah. “I’m sorry, I just—“

“It’s fine, okay? I’ll be back.”

Dinah didn’t storm out of the apartment, but she left quickly. And if she slammed the door...maybe it was an accident. 

Helena left her credit card on the island and silently went to her bedroom. 

* * *

Dinah knew she was probably being silly in being upset with Helena. She knew, deep down, that Helena wasn’t trying to insult her. Wasn’t trying to embarrass her. But she felt insulted and embarrassed anyway. 

She hated the idea of Helena thinking she just moved in because Helena had money, because the apartment was paid for, because Helena could afford things. Her friend having a place to live? Yes, that was beneficial, but Dinah would rather live on the street again than accept a hand-out or be pitied. 

Dinah strolled the grocery store and calmed down. Helena didn’t mean it. She meant well. She just wanted to help, and Dinah did appreciate it, even though she didn’t know what to do about it. Nobody helped. Not in a long time. 

Dinah tossed necessities into the cart. There were at least seven fruits and seven vegetables, which would be well enough. She got bread, cheese, butter, and eggs. She added items for more meals, like sandwich meats and salads. She grabbed milk, because why did a person have cereal but no milk? Then, she got more adventurous cereals like Cocoa Puffs and Honey Nut Cheerios. Finally, Dinah picked out strawberry flavored Pop-Tarts and Oreos. She knew Helena would like both. 

Dinah proudly placed all of the items on the conveyer belt to be rung up. She hadn’t fully stocked a kitchen in a long time. It was such a grown up thing to do. And to do it for her roommate, another grown up thing. Having a roommate. 

Dinah pushed her debit card into the machine and waited. 

She punched in her pin and waited. 

And waited. 

And—

The machine made an awful noise and told her to remove her card. It was denied. How could that—

Fuck, Dinah thought, checking the date. Her cellphone bill was taken out of her account, and by her calculations, she only had about ten-bucks left in her account. Fuck!

“Fuck!” Dinah exclaimed. 

“Maybe...try another card?” the cashier asked. 

“Do I look like I have multiple cards?” Dinah questioned. 

She didn’t wait for the answer. Full of embarrassment, Dinah stormed out of the grocery store, leaving all of their fresh groceries there. 

* * *

Helena was laying on her bed reading when there was a sudden loud bang at the front door. It was the sound of the door itself being flung open and slammed shut again. 

Helena sat up. 

Stomping. 

Dinah?

Dinah’s bedroom door being slammed open and shut next door. 

Dinah. 

Helena slowly got up. Why was she mad? Was she still mad about what happened earlier? Helena hoped not. She hoped they didn’t fight anymore. 

Helena quietly opened her bedroom door and went next door to Dinah’s. She noticed there were not any groceries in the kitchen. Confused, Helena knocked on the door. 

“Dinah?”

There was no answer. 

Helena knocked again. “Dinah? Are you okay?”

“Go away!”

Helena frowned. She could walk away. Maybe a short while ago, she would have, not caring about anyone else’s problems. But now she cared about Dinah. Maybe she only cared about Dinah. 

Helena ignored Dinah’s wish and carefully opened the door. “Are you hurt?” she asked. 

“No, I’m not fucking hurt.”

Helena peeked her head in. Dinah was bundled in her bed, covered by a ridiculous multitude of pillows. 

“Then, what’s—“

“Just...” Dinah sighed. “God, just leave me alone. It’s fucking embarrassing.”

Helena’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion. “What? What happened?”

Dinah practically growled. “My card was declined, okay? You were right, I don’t have any fucking money. Because I don’t have a job because I’m a fucking bum with no actual skills and—“

“You’re not a bum.”

“I can’t get a job, Helena. I’m a loser.”

Helena frowned. She did not like Dinah talking about herself in such a way. Dinah certainly was not a loser. She was the smartest, most skilled person Helena knew. 

Helena went closet to the bed. “I don’t think you’re a loser.”

“You know I’m a bum who doesn’t have any money.”

“No, I just—“

“Why else would you offer your card earlier, then? It was automatic, you didn’t even think about it. You just...handed it over. No big deal.”

“Because I...”

“Tell me. Because you have money and I don’t.”

Helena shook her head. “Because I want to take care of you,” she said without being able to stop herself. 

Fuck. 

Dinah was sure to think she was a total weirdo now. 

But didn’t Dinah say anything. The words weighed on the whole room. Helena was bolted to the spot and Dinah was frozen in hers. 

Helena almost left, thinking that she had totally ruined it all, the entire friendship. There was no way—

“Nobody...” Dinah mumbled under her pillows. “Nobody’s ever... ever taken care of me.”

“That’s a shame,” Helena said. 

Dinah slowly turned over to face Helena. Helena saw tear streaks on her face and her eyes were red. She hated seeing Dinah cry. 

“You weren’t trying to be an asshole earlier?”

“Although I am usually trying to be an asshole,” Helena joked. “Earlier was not one of those times. Yes, I was considering you don’t have a job, but not in a bad way. I thought...I thought I was being considerate. By not expecting you to spend money you don’t have.”

Dinah sat up. “That’s weirdly sweet.”

Helena shrugged. “That’s me. Weirdly sweet.”

Dinah cracked a smile. Finally. Finally, Helena felt like she’d done something right today. 

Dinah patted her bed next to her. Helena slowly moved to sit. 

“I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you,” Dinah said. “You were trying to help. You’re a thinker, you’re practical.”

Helena nodded. “I try to be.”

“You’re a good friend. And I appreciate you wanting to help.”

“Thanks,” Helena said. That’s all she could say. 

Dinah smiled at her. Helena slowly smiled back. 

Then, Dinah threw herself on the bed. “Ugh, it’s going to be so embarrassing going back to that store. After I just left everything there.”

“We’ll go somewhere else.”

Dinah looked at her. “Really? That’s the solution?”

Helena shrugged. “Why not?”

Dinah chuckled. “Alright, we can go elsewhere.”

Helena smiled. 

“I’m sorry I got mad at you,” Dinah said. “I was being stupid.”

“You’re never stupid.”

Dinah smiled at her. She reached over and patted Helena’s knee. Helena leg felt hot where Dinah touched her. 

Helena didn’t dwell on that. “Let me know when you want to go.”

Dinah nodded. She pulled her hand away, to Helena’s disappointment. 

Dinah decided they could go a few minutes later, after she cleaned up her face. 

They wandered the grocery store much like Dinah had the first time, but Helena could see Dinah hesitate when picking out foods. 

“Get what you want,” Helena told her. 

“Well...before, I had picked out some stuff I thought you’d like. But I don’t want you to waste money—“

Helena held up a hand to stop her. “Whatever you want. Whatever you think.”

Dinah finally grabbed a cereal called Cocoa Puffs, the Oreos, and Pop-Tarts, whatever those were. Helena was intrigued. 

Helena took out her credit card when they paid. Dinah looked slightly ashamed, but Helena just acted casual and didn’t even make any deal about paying. She was going to anyway.

Once they were in the car, Dinah grabbed the Oreos and opened the package. 

Helena stared at them. 

“Just one,” Dinah said. “Please?”

Helena hesitantly took a cookie. 

“Now, I like to eat the cream first,” Dinah said, pulling the two cookies apart. “But you can just dive in if you want.” She licked the cream from the cookie.

Helena almost couldn’t look away...

Then, Dinah bit the black cookie. She raised an eyebrow at Helena. 

Helena took a nervous breath, then bit the cookie. Her eyes instantly widened. 

“You like it?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. She reached for another from the package. 

Dinah laughed. “Just wait to eat them with milk.”

Helena was too busy stuffing the third cookie into her mouth. Dinah laughed. 

Later, they agreed that Helena would pay for groceries when the time came to shop, but Dinah would eventually pay for household items like toilet paper and paper towels. It was a good system. And Helena was continuously glad to have Dinah. 


	62. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for angst, but it ends with fluff.
> 
> Also I don’t write conflict well. So there no real beginning to this. 
> 
> Thanks for reading anyway!

They didn’t fight.

Not really. 

There were disagreements and misunderstandings, words muttered under their breath that they couldn’t say to the other because they knew, even in anger, that they’d hurt each other too much. There were confessions of, “I didn’t like when—“ or “I think we should talk about—“ And they always found a conclusion. They always worked it out. 

There was one big, giant blow up fight. 

Neither knew how it began, or when it began. Living with someone, still getting used to being with them all the time, and actually being with them all the time, was a hard adjustment. It was maybe a year into their relationship and they both just needed some time apart and alone. 

The fight had been boiling for days, though. They both felt it, deep down, a pounding anger that was waiting to burst. Helena would do something and Dinah would get snotty, or Dinah would do something and Helena would grumble. It was just a bad time. 

Finally, on a Thursday afternoon, they blew up. It was a marathon yelling match. Helena was closed off, with her arms crossed over her chest, and she didn’t yell but her words cut Dinah. Dinah, obviously a good yeller, did enough yelling for both of them. 

Eventually, the yelling got repetitive and they went in circles and circles, like a boxing match waiting for someone to tap out. 

“Shut the fuck up now, Helena,” Dinah finally growled out. “I’m so fucking done.”

She turned on her heels and marched back to her bedroom. 

Helena followed. “Done? Done? You can’t be done. There’s no solution, no end, no finality—“ 

Dinah went into her bathroom. “Me saying to shut the fuck up was the solution.”

“Fucking make me, Dinah,” Helena argued. “You were the one—“

Dinah put her hair brush down and turned to Helena again. “Oh, I was the one who started it? I wasn’t the one who—“

Helena pointed a finger at her. “No, you—“

Dinah rolled her eyes and shoved passed Helena standing in the doorway. “I’m done listening. I gotta go.”

Helena’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She followed Dinah toward her closet. “Where are you going? You’re just going to run away?”

“I’m going to my job, Helena. You know, a job? Like some people have? People who aren’t pompous, trust-fund assholes?” 

Helena was vaguely offended by that. “You remember I was left money because my parents—“

Dinah threw a hanger at her from inside the closet. It bounced off Helena’s arm and clattered to the floor. Dinah was out the door in a second, pointing a finger in Helena’s face. 

“You don’t get to fucking use that.” Dinah threw herself on her bed to pull her shoes on. 

Helena glared at her. “You brought it up—“

“You know what? Fine. Use that all you want,” Dinah said, standing. With her boots on and Helena barefoot, they were closer to the same height. Dinah got right in her face and looked her in the eye. “Maybe one day you’ll use it so much that I’ll stop feeling sorry for you.”

Helena felt the words like a punch to the gut. Dinah...feeling sorry for her...what did that mean?

“What’s that supposed to—“

Dinah shook her head and walked around the bed toward the door. “I’m out of here. Bye, Helena.”

Dinah left the room. Helena heard her grab her keys, then the apartment door was violently thrown open and shut again. 

Helena was left in Dinah’s bedroom confused and alone. 

* * *

Helena didn’t bother waiting up for Dinah. She knew there would just be more yelling when Dinah arrived home. By going to bed, at least Dinah would either quietly get into bed next to her or sleep in her own room, and either option would avoid having to face each other until tomorrow. 

Helena didn’t know how to feel. She’d never fought with someone before. 

Yes, she’d physically fought people. Many times. But Dinah was not some brute she could knock out. Dinah was her girlfriend, and Dinah had very real and very passionate emotions. 

Helena tried to remain detached, but eventually Dinah’s own anger got to her, and she couldn’t help but fight back. 

They’d both said things, many things, but Helena still wondered what Dinah meant about feeling sorry for her. Was that why Dinah was with her? Why Dinah befriended her? 

Helena tossed and turned in her bed. Nothing felt comfortable, nothing felt right. She felt mentally exhausted enough to sleep the rest of their fight away, but couldn’t fall asleep. 

Around two, Helena’s body finally gave in, and she drifted into an unsatisfactory sleep. Like she didn’t want to, but she had to. 

It wasn’t long later that she heard a weird scratch on the front door. Then, a little knock. Then, a laugh and a loud, “Ssshh!” 

Confused and worried, Helena climbed out of bed and grabbed a knife from her bedside table. She popped the blade and tip-toed to the door. 

“What are we gonna do?” a voice, Dinah’s voice, loudly whispered from the other side of the door. 

Helena sighed, popped her knife back in, and opened the door. 

“Ahh!” Dinah cried in shock. 

She was slumped against Annie, who had both arms around Dinah’s waist to keep her up. 

“I’m sorry,” Annie said, “We followed someone in before I realized we couldn’t get into the apartment.”

Helena just looked at the scene before her. “Is she drunk?”

“Oh yeah,” Annie answered. “Didn’t really work tonight, just drank and grumbled. You know, complained about you.”

“Wonderful,” Helena said, reaching a hand out to take Dinah from Annie. 

“I think she got most of it out. By the end there, she said you weren’t all bad.”

“Not all bad? That’s the best I’ve heard in days.” Helena put an arm around Dinah’s waist. 

Dinah glared with her eyes closed. “Mmmm....noooo.”

Helena frowned. She looked at Annie. “Thanks for delivering.”

Annie half smiled. “No problem. Let me know if you need anything,” she said kindly. 

Helena nodded and reached for the front door. 

Annie stopped her before she could close the door. “Hey,” she said, “It’ll be okay. Everyone has disagreements.”

Helena nodded again. “I hope so.”

Annie have a sympathetic look, then walked down the hall. 

Helena shut and locked the door, then dragged Dinah’s heavy body toward her bedroom. 

“Stop, stop,” Dinah demanded. “I can walk.”

Helena let her go, but kept a supporting hand on her arm. 

Dinah took one step and fell to the ground. She let out a fit of giggles. 

Helena sighed and kneeled next to her. She took Dinah’s arms and picked her up again. 

“Noooo,” Dinah disagreed, then let out an ‘oomf’ of surprise when Helena picked her up completely, tossing her over her shoulder like a fireman. 

Helena didn’t listen to Dinah’s protests, she just walked the few feet to Dinah’s room. Then, she tossed Dinah onto the bed like a rag doll. 

Something about seeing Dinah in this state made Helena soften. Maybe knowing how effected by their fighting she was. Maybe knowing Dinah felt awful about it, too. Maybe Dinah telling Annie she wasn’t all bad. But something about the whole situation made Helena want to forget it all and hold Dinah close to sleep. 

Dinah snuggled into the bed as Helena got to work removing everything from her unfit to sleep in. She began with Dinah’s shoes. 

“I can take off my own shoes,” Dinah argued, but didn’t make a move to do so. 

“Okay,” Helena replied, still taking them off. 

Next, Helena worked on Dinah’s jewelry. She picked up Dinah’s hands and began to remove all of her rings. 

“Stop, I can do it,” Dinah grumbled, but again didn’t even open her eyes. If anything, she snuggled deeper against her pillow. 

“Okay,” Helena said again. 

Once all of Dinah’s jewelry was on her nightstand, Helena sat her up to take off her blazer. 

“Why are you being so nice?” Dinah questioned, one arm around Helena’s neck and the other outstretched so Helena could get her jacket off. Dinah added, “You don’t even love me anymore.”

That hit Helena like one of her arrows. How could Dinah think—

They were fighting, but never once did either of them say they didn’t love the other. Never once did it occur to Helena that they could be apart, that they could break up. She knew they’d get better eventually. 

“I didn’t say that,” Helena said, “I didn’t say I don’t love you.”

“But—“

“My love for you isn’t going to disappear because of a stupid fight.”

Helena got Dinah’s blazer off and gently laid her on her pillow again. 

Dinah slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at Helena. “You mean it?”

“Of course,” Helena said. 

Dinah’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. “I thought...I thought we were going to...I thought you would...”

Helena knew she should probably have a real conversation with Dinah sober. She knew she should go to bed, hold Dinah close, and save it for tomorrow. But she couldn’t. 

Helena shook her head. “I won’t. Not ever.”

“Even when I yell at you?”

Helena nodded. “As long as it doesn’t become a habit.”

“Even when I throw a hanger at you?”

“That, too.”

Dinah put her arms up, inviting Helena in. Helena climbed over her, letting Dinah embrace her in a tight hug and doing her best to get her arms around Dinah, too. 

Helena felt everything slip away. All the hurt, all the anger, all the words. Everything was gone and nothing mattered except Dinah in her arms. 

“I’m sorry,” Dinah whispered in her ear, one hand burying comfortably in Helena’s hair. “I didn’t mean anything I said.”

Helena knew that was true. “I didn’t either.”

Dinah breathed through a crying sob. “I was worried I’d come home and you’d be gone.”

Helena shook her head. “That never even crossed my mind.”

Dinah squeezed her. “I love you so much.”

“I love you,” Helena replied. 

Dinah nosed at her ear, prodding Helena to shift her head. Helena did, turning to face Dinah, and Dinah’s lips trailed Helena’s cheek to her lips. 

It was the first time they’d kissed in days, and it felt just as electric as the first kiss they ever shared. It meant something new, it meant forgiveness, it meant love. 

Dinah’s mouth drooping when Helena tried to deepen it meant Dinah was still very drunk and about two seconds from falling asleep. 

Helena pulled back with a smacking pop. Dinah began to lift her head to chase Helena’s lips, but just as quickly fell back against the pillow. 

“Go to sleep,” Helena whispered. “We’ll talk tomorrow.” She climbed off Dinah, but reached for her pants to get her a little more comfortable to sleep. 

Dinah spread out on the bed. “Don’t leave me.”

Helena kissed her forehead. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”


	63. Makeup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow up to the last chapter.
> 
> The sex part.
> 
> Not the actual talking about their feelings part.

The world was silent.

For the first time in days, Helena woke up feeling at peace. Before, she would wake up instantly scared. What would be the fight that day? What would she mess up? How would Dinah irritate her? 

But that Friday morning, she woke up in silence. The reason her heart was pounding was because the fighting was over, everything was right, and Dinah was sound asleep with an arm thrown over Helena’s middle. 

Helena was content for the first time in days. More than their confessions the previous night; Helena hadn’t been sure how they’d wake up. Would Dinah even wake up remembering that they spoke? Would Dinah wake up and change her mind, deciding to hold the fight against Helena? Helena didn’t plan on it, and with Dinah’s arm tight around her waist, she realized she was foolish to think Dinah would. 

Helena could have spent all day in bed with Dinah curled around her, but eventually she itched to get up and move. Her body just wasn’t designed to be dormant for long. So, with careful ease, she climbed out from under Dinah’s grasp and went next door to her bathroom to take a shower. 

Helena spent time to scrub the grime of the last few days off of her. She wanted to reflect on what happened and create a strategy to avoid fighting in the future, but Helena could not for the life of her decide what even began the fight. She didn’t want to blame Dinah, but she didn’t want to blame herself. It was very mutual. It was pent up mood swings and tiredness of each other. 

Maybe that was the solution: spending time apart. Helena didn’t have to go to work with Dinah every night. Helena could take day trips on her bike, encourage Dinah to do more things without her. 

Yeah. That’s good. That could be a good plan. 

Helena let the soap rinse from her short hair. Eyes closed, head back, caring about nothing in the world—

Two wet hands slid from her back around her waist. A lithe and very much naked body pressed against her back. 

Helena was trained to not let surprises scare her, to control her nerves and to not let anything effect her. Still, she couldn’t help the uptick of her heart. 

Dinah’s hands splayed across her stomach as Dinah pulled her close, burying her face against Helena’s shoulder blade, which couldn’t be comfortable, but Dinah didn’t seem to care. 

“I was worried,” Dinah said loud enough to be heard over the water splashing around them. “I was worried I dreamt last night, and that you did leave me.”

Helena pressed her hands over Dinah’s. “I couldn’t,” Helena said. “I would never even think about leaving you.” Helena gripped Dinah’s hands. 

Dinah pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. “I love you.”

Helena rubbed her head against Dinah’s. “I love you, too.” 

Dinah kissed her skin again, moving her kisses from the back of Helena’s neck as far to the front as she could reach. Her hands began to rub Helena’s stomach, and with each swipe of Dinah’s tongue, Helena was flexing her abs. Dinah seemed to appreciate it as her nails scratched Helena’s skin with passion. 

Helena was shocked at how awake Dinah was. She was sure her poor baby would wake up with a hangover, at least a headache. But Dinah was attentive and eager, if her roaming hands were a judge. 

Helena was still standing mostly under the water, so Dinah’s hands mixed with the hot water pelting her felt incredible. Helena was getting a wonderfully welcome massage. She wanted Dinah to touch her all over; her nipples were begging for a tease. Nonetheless, it felt incredible, so she let her head fall back as Dinah’s lips continued their sucking exploration of Helena’s neck. 

Finally, Dinah’s hands cupped Helena’s chest. She rubbed Helena’s skin with her palms, then finally pinched one nipple. Helena gasped and pushed against Dinah, and Dinah bit down on her shoulder at the same moment she pinched Helena’s other nipple. Helena was in a weird state of almost feeling too many sensations at once, but it all felt incredible to be in Dinah’s arms again. 

Dinah toyed with her for a while, giving one breast ample attention before shifting to the other. Helena grew so wound up and needed Dinah to touch her elsewhere, anywhere else because it would feel wonderful. Helena just dropped her head back and sighed with pleasure at the feel of Dinah’s hands on her chest. 

And then Dinah moved suddenly and Helena barely caught herself before she slammed face-first against the wall. The tiles felt cold against her hot body, and it was almost bothersome except Dinah’s hands were enough of a distraction. Her fingers left Helena’s tits and finally roamed down, lower and lower. Dinah nudged Helena’s legs apart with her knee and Helena gladly spread them, allowing Dinah enough room to work. 

Helena wanted to beg, wanted to plead, and she would have but Dinah didn’t keep her waiting for long. One hand held Helena’s hip still as the other trailed down, around Helena’s hip, and two fingers immediately slid between her folds to toy with her clit. 

“Fuck,” Helena gasped. God, it was perfect. Dinah rubbed circles around the sensitive nub, up and down and it drove Helena insane. She couldn’t help gasping and sighing with pleasure. 

Helena was now at a height that she could comfortably rest her head on Dinah’s shoulder. Dinah mouthed at her ear and neck, and her fingers didn’t stop, thank god. Helena was loving every second of it. 

Helena was almost there. Dinah was playing her so well and making her feel so good, but she thought there was one thing she needed. She couldn’t ask, couldn’t even form words or thoughts or actions, and she was glad to just ride this out for as long as Dinah wanted to keep her there—

Then, Helena felt two fingers circling her entrance from behind. God, that was it, Dinah just needed to push—

“Yes!” Helena cried as Dinah read her mind and did just that. She gently pushed two fingers into Helena and curled them perfectly to hit everywhere Helena desired. 

Dinah was perfect. Her hands never stopped and she was dragging loud noises from Helena that Helena rarely every let out. Maybe it was because the shower was loud, or because they hadn’t had sex in over a week, or because Helena knew their love was different now, with every opportunity to only get better, but everything felt perfect and loving and pure and—

Helena let out a loud cry when she came. Her body shuddered almost violently in Dinah’s arms, and she was glad the wall was holding her up or else she would have fallen. 

“Fuck, baby...” Helena sighed as she finally caught her breath. 

Dinah slowly pulled out and let her go. Helena immediately felt sad for the loss, not only because she wanted to come again and again but because she wanted Dinah close, Dinah to enclose her, to hold her tight. 

But Helena also wanted to return the favor, to make Dinah scream over the noisy shower, so she turned and grabbed Dinah. 

Helena captured her lips for the first time that morning. She didn’t bother with soft kisses, or light, she dove in with tongue and teeth and passion and everything she had. She grabbed Dinah’s face with one hand and her hip with the other, pushing Dinah back until her back hit the glass shower door. Helena pressed completely against her, slick wet skin to slick wet skin, and kissed her like her life depended on it. 

Dinah grew impatient faster than Helena had, or at least she showed her desires quicker than Helena had. Almost immediately, Dinah pushed her hips against Helena, seeking some sort of friction even though she wouldn’t find it. 

Helena took pity on her, shifting her hand holding Dinah’s hip to her thigh and pulling it up so her leg would wrap around Helena’s waist. 

Dinah groaned as Helena tried to rub against her. Her head fell back against the glass and Helena playfully bit her chin. 

Dinah scratched Helena’s back. “Fuck yes baby, fuck me like that...”

Helena wanted more. She wanted to touch for herself. She wanted to make Dinah howl. Helena vaguely wondered if they could break the shower door—

Helena took her free hand and grabbed Dinah’s hand with it, squeezing her fingers against the glass. Helena wondered how hot it looked from the outside. Dinah pressed up against it, the fog, their hands intertwined—

Helena’s other hand let go of Dinah’s thigh and instead grabbed her ass. She kept pushing against Dinah, thrusting her hips, but trailed her fingers down to Dinah’s entrance. Like Dinah did, Helena dove right in with two fingers and made Dinah’s hips stutter against her. 

“God yes,” Dinah sighed. “Fuck, yes, Helena!”

Helena could die happy hearing her name moaned from Dinah’s lips. She kept working, thrusting into Dinah and kissing her exposed neck. She sucked on Dinah’s skin and lightly nibbled, making Dinah squirm and moan even louder. 

“Harder, baby, fuck, harder, please...”

Helena knew Dinah was close minutes later when her thigh tensed around her waist. Dinah’s hips stuttered erratically, trying to seek Helena’s fingers. She squeezed Helena’s hand. 

Helena almost didn’t hear a last request from Dinah over the spray. Finally, she processed what Dinah wanted.

“Kiss me, baby...”

Helena attached her lips to Dinah’s so fast. She pushed her tongue into Dinah’s mouth and devoured her, fucking her with fingers and tongue and making Dinah squirm even harder. 

Dinah finally came, squeezing Helena’s hand painfully tight and practically screaming. Her shout echoed around the shower, but it wasn’t quite high enough to crack the shower door. Thank goodness. 

Helena bit her bottom lip as she detached, and Dinah grinned with contentment. 

“Mmm, god...” Dinah sighed. “Fuck  me .”

Helena slowly pulled her fingers out. “I thought I just did.”

“Damn right you did,” Dinah replied. “Fucked me so good.”

Helena smiled proudly. 

Dinah didn’t let her go far. When Helena let go of her hand and let her leg down, Dinah wrapped her arms around Helena’s neck to hold her close. She carefully kissed Helena’s lips, softly and lovingly. 

“I love you,” Dinah said once they detached again. 

“I love you too,” Helena replied, hugging Dinah tight. “So much.”

“More than anything,” Dinah agreed.

“Anything?” Helena playfully asked, grinning in Dinah’s face. 

“Anything.”

“More than...chocolate eclairs?”

“Absolutely.”

“More than the music on your phone?”

“All replaceable.”

“More than...” Helena’s grin turned wicked. “More than your  _ car _ ?”

Dinah smiled wider. “I gotta think about that one.”

Helena was still smiling. She wasn’t sure when she would ever stop smiling. She had a lot of unhappiness over the past week to make up for. A lot to make up to Dinah. 

“What do you want for breakfast?” Helena asked, rubbing Dinah’s sides. 

“You,” Dinah said. 

Helena chuckled. “What do you want to eat—“

Dinah’s eyes sparkled. 

Helena rolled her eyes. “God, never mind.”

Dinah laughed. “That’s your joke.”

“It’s crude when you say it.”

“Crude when I say it?! What should I say? I want to bury my tongue in you until you—“

“Fine, fine,” Helena said, playfully squeezing Dinah’s ass. “First, breakfast. Then, whatever you want.”

Dinah rubbed her nose against Helena’s. “Deal. We’re gonna need lots of protein, though. Keep our energy up.”

Helena nodded. She knew they were on the same page. A lot of unhappiness to make up for. 

She kissed Dinah again. 

She felt complete. 


	64. Carnival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Person A has a hidden fear.
> 
> This chapter seems really long, I’m sorry.
> 
> Hope you enjoy anyway!

Dinah loved a good carnival. They were fun, of course, with games and rides and lots of incredibly sugary food. Dinah associated carnivals with being young, being a kid, because the carnival that would go through Gotham every year was the first time her mom let her go anywhere with her friends alone. Being grown enough to be alone with friends and ride the big rides was so fun. She rode the Ferris wheel with a boy she had a crush on and he kissed her cheek when they got to the top.

Dinah was thrilled when Cass asked them to take her to the carnival. She smiled a huge smile at Helena. 

Helena was practically glaring. “Why can’t Harley take you?”

Cass rolled her eyes. “A clown at a carnival? No thanks.”

Dinah chuckled. 

Helena didn’t look amused. 

Dinah nudged her. “Come on! It’ll be fun!”

Dinah knew why Helena was apprehensive: the crowds. There was bound to be a billion people at the carnival. Dinah knew Helena wasn’t going to be okay with that. 

But she could convince her. 

“It’ll be so fun,” Dinah said, lightly touching Helena’s arm. “We can play games! You like games!”

Helena frowned. 

“Some rides!”

Helena glared. 

Dinah poked her side. “Cotton candy...”

Helena schooled her face to look neutral, but Dinah noticed an uptick of her lip. Dinah knew she had her. 

“Candy apples...” Dinah playfully poked Helena again. 

Cass grinned. “Funnel cake?” she added. 

“Lemonade—“

“Fine!” Helena cried, throwing her hands up in the air. “Whatever, we can go.”

Cass practically squealed and jumped at Helena, engulfing her in a big hug. Helena stood still as Cass laid her head on Helena’s shoulder. Dinah laughed at the scene, then leaned in and wrapped her arms around both of them. 

Cass convinced them to let her bring a friend, but it wasn’t much convincing because Dinah didn’t mind. She wanted Cass to have fun. She knew Helena would want her to as well, and Helena would go crazy buying ride tickets and spending money on games. 

And the food— god , Dinah worried about the stomach ache Helena was going to have later. Helena would undoubtedly eat everything in sight. The woman had eyes much larger than her stomach, and Dinah knew her ever-growing sweet tooth was going to have a field day. 

Still, Dinah was excited, and finally Saturday rolled around when they were to pick up Cass. 

Dinah was spewing on and on about her excitement. “I’m so glad we’re going, babe. I loved going to the carnival when I was little. My friends and I used to pull all our money to buy a bunch of junk food. One time, my friend threw up on the...y’know, that one that goes in circles.”

Helena nodded, even though Dinah wasn’t sure she knew at all.

“My favorite is the Ferris wheel though.”

“Oh,” Helena said quietly. 

“I had my first kiss on the Ferris wheel.”

“Really.”

It wasn’t really a question. 

“Well,” Dinah corrected, “It was on the cheek, but still. I hope they have one at this carnival.”

Helena swallowed. “You think there might be?”

Dinah shrugged. “If there is, I want to ride it with you.”

Helena licked her lips. “Dinah, I...” she squirmed uncomfortably. 

Dinah glanced at her. “What?”

Helena looked out the window. “Nothing.”

Dinah was confused, because Helena was acting weirder than she had been. Sure, she had asked every single day if they had to go, but she didn’t look...nervous. 

Dinah chose to let it go because they were approaching Harley’s building. Dinah pulled up to a face in the front and pulled her phone out to call Cass. 

“Why couldn’t Harley take her again?” Helena asked. 

“You expect Harley to do something responsible?”

Helena shrugged. 

“Just be nice to Cass’s friend, okay?”

Helena looked at her. “Are you saying I’m not nice?”

Dinah laughed. 

Helena glared at her. 

“Just be nice,” Dinah said again. 

Helena rolled her eyes and looked out the window again. 

Cass finally exited the building and ran to the car. Helena climbed out of the passenger seat so she could pull the seat up for Cass to climb into the back. 

“What’s up, nerds!” Cass greeted. 

Helena slid back into her seat. “And you want me to be nice?”

Dinah chuckled. “Cass, be nice to Helena.”

Cass grinned evilly. Dinah smiled at her through the rear view mirror. 

They picked up Cass’s friend, a really nice girl named Lexie. Dinah took one look at the girls and thought...yeah, they were definitely on a date. And they were the chaperones. 

The girls talked between each other in hushed tones in the backseat. Dinah grinned and glanced at Helena. 

Helena looked at her confused. 

Dinah nodded toward the backseat. 

Helena’s eyebrows curved down even further. 

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Never mind,” she said out loud. 

Helena still looked at her completely lost as Dinah kept driving. 

They finally arrived at the carnival. The whole area looked magnificent, complete with giant glowing rides, sugar smells wafting from every direction, and rows and rows of booth games. Dinah smiled widely and grabbed Helena’s hand as they began to walk toward the ticket booth entrance. 

Cass and Lexie walked behind them, giggling away and looking just as thrilled as Dinah felt. 

Dinah was too busy taking it all in to even look at Helena, who had a death grip on her hand. Dinah assumed, again, that Helena was just nervous about the sheer volume of people, but when Dinah looked at Helena, Helena was anxiously looking at the rides. 

“You okay?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. 

Dinah nudged her. “You sure? You’re breaking my hand.”

Helena looked down. “Oh, sorry,” she sighed, letting Dinah’s hand go. She wiped her sweaty palm on her jacket. 

Dinah was confused now, but their turn in line arrived, and Helena quickly walked to the booth. 

Helena bought the highest amount of tickets possible, of course. As they walked away, she split them in half and handed half to Cass. 

“If you need more, let me know,” Helena said. 

Lexie’s eyes were wide. “Seriously?!”

Cass smiled. “I know, right.”

Dinah knew it was earning Cass points. Dinah decided to add a few more. 

“Listen, you don’t have to hang around us the whole time, okay? You guys can go off by yourself, but you gotta answer your phone if I call. Got it?”

Cass eagerly nodded. “For sure.”

Lexie grabbed Cass’ arm. “Let’s go to the Gravatron!”

Cass excitedly moved to follow. 

“Hang on,” Dinah said to her as Lexie ran away. She took cash out of her pocket and handed Cass a twenty. “Get your girl something. Share a cotton candy, win her a stuffed bear.”

Cass blushed. She grabbed the money from Dinah’s hand. “Don’t say that shit too loud!” 

Dinah just laughed as Cass ran to catch up to her friend. 

They watched Cass reach her, and Dinah saw a giant, happy smile spread over Lexie’s face as Cass approached. Lexie grabbed her by thejacket and playfully pulled her toward the ride. 

“Oh!” Helena suddenly sighed. “That’s what you were trying to tell me!”

Dinah broke out into a loud laugh. She grabbed Helena’s hand. “Come on, babe. You need some sugar.”

They wandered the park for almost an hour, just nursing a giant bag of cotton candy to start. Dinah offered numerous other treats to Helena, like the promised candy apples and funnel cake, but Helena kept refusing while glancing at the rides portion of the area. 

Finally, Dinah decided she wanted to ride something. Holding Helena’s hand tight, she began to walk towards the Ferris wheel. 

Helena was slowly walking next to her. “Want to do something else first?” she asked. “That way...that way we can have some more snacks after we ride the crazy rides?”

Dinah shrugged. “Good logic to me,” she agreed. “Let’s go!”

Dinah pulled Helena to a ride called the Tilt-a-Whirl. It was a bunch of half domed carriages that were on a track that was tilting as it spun the cars. Dinah quickly got in the short line. 

“Nervous?” Dinah asked. 

“No,” Helena casually said. 

She didn’t look nervous, so Dinah accepted. 

“After this, let’s do the swing!”

Helena looked over to the swing. “That looks cool.”

Dinah smiled happily. She hoped Helena enjoyed herself. 

After the Tilt-a-Whirl and swings, they rode a ride that looked like a pirate ship and just swung back and forth, then the ride that Cass and Lexie went for, the Gravatron. 

Helena held on like a champ. Dinah wasn’t sure how she’d react to the rides, but then Dinah figured she rode her bike recklessly, so fear wasn’t an issue. And Helena had a pretty strong stomach, unless she overrate the sweets. 

It was looking good. After their four rides, Dinah got a candy apple for them to share and Helena dragged her to the games. 

“Okay, wait,” Dinah said, stopping Helena in her tracks. “These games are designed for people to not win. And you are psychotically competitive. So you cannot stand here all night and waste hundreds of dollars just to win some cheap ass bear.”

Helena’s jaw was hanging open. “I wouldn’t—“

“Really? And you still have Cass’ Switch because...”

Helena frowned. “Because I can’t get the high score on Pocket Golf Mini.”

Dinah patted her cheek. “Twenty bucks, tops.”

Helena frowned deeper. 

Dinah bit her apple, then grabbed Helena’s hand to lead her to the games. 

“You know,” Dinah said, “That first time I came with my friends and that boy kissed me on the Ferris wheel? He won stuffed kitty for me.”

Helena groaned. “Now why would you tell me that?”

Dinah looked at her. “What?”

“Now I  _ have _ to win something for you!”

Dinah tsk’ed. “No you don’t!”

“Yeah, I do! To prove that I’m a better boyfriend than that kid!”

Dinah grasped her shoulder. “That kid was twelve, and we are married.”

“It’s a principle thing!”

Dinah sighed. “I won’t win this, will I?”

Helena began to walk towards the first booth. “You’re lucky I let you win anything.”

“Excuse me, _ let me _ ?!” 

It fell on deaf ears. Helena was already handing five dollars to the worker. Dinah just let her. 

It wasn’t a hundred dollars, but it was sixty-five dollars later that Helena finally won something. Dinah tried to tell her again and again that the games were rigged, that the basketball hoop was slightly too small for the ball, that the bottles were too heavy to knock over or they were fused together, but Helena didn’t listen. She was determined. 

Dinah loved that about her. 

But standing there with a sticky apple core in her hand was not her favorite thing. She begged Helena numerous times to let it go, but Helena couldn’t. 

Dinah hated that about her. 

Finally, forever later, Dinah was happily holding a stuffed octopus and Helena was disposing of her gross apple core. Dinah snuggled the not-so-soft plushy in her arms.

“See?” Helena asked smugly. 

“How much did you spend?” Dinah asked, sliding her arms around Helena’s neck. 

“No price is too much for you.” Helena’s arms went around Dinah’s waist to pull her in even more. 

Dinah shook her head, but she was smiling. She couldn’t help it. 

“What did that little boy get for winning something for you?”

“Well,” Dinah said, “Not that I believe in rewards like that—“

“Right,” Helena agreed. 

“But since I had a huge crush on him anyway, that’s why I let him kiss me on the Ferris wheel.”

“Mmm,” Helena hummed. “What might I get?”

Dinah grinned. She leaned close to Helena, closer than they maybe should have been. Their noses touched. “Gonna get that good lovin’ tonight, baby.”

Helena lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Dinah nodded. She smiled and gently kissed Helena’s waiting lips. 

Not a second later, Dinah felt something pelting her head. She looked down at what could have fallen after hitting her and saw popcorn. 

“Gross!” she heard yelled from above. 

“Yeah, get a room!” yelled the second voice. 

Dinah looked up on time to see Cass proudly high-five Lexie. 

Helena let Dinah go, and Dinah stepped away but kept an arm around Helena’s shoulders. 

Dinah grumbled, “Oh, I want to embarrass her so bad—“

“How’s your date going?!” Helena yelled up to them.

Cass’ smile dropped and her face instantly turned bright red. Lexie just looked down with shocked eyes, and Helena burst into laughter. 

Dinah laughed too, even though she felt bad for the girls. She wanted to say something back, but that hadn’t meant that she was going to. She nudged Helena and Helena was laughing so hard she swayed and almost lost her balance. 

“You’re an ass,” Dinah said between laughs.

“She deserved it,” Helena replied. “Come on, let’s get one of those funnel cakes you were talking about—“

Dinah pulled on her hand. “Can we please go on the Ferris wheel first? Cass took her date!”

Helena was no longer laughing. “I...I mean...if you really want—“

“I do!” Dinah cried, squeezing Helena’s arm. “Oh, baby, it’ll be so fun!”

Dinah was delighted, and she dragged Helena over to the line. 

Helena was quiet through the entire line. She just looked up at the ride and barely listened while Dinah talked and talked. She squeezed Dinah’s hand and Dinah just thought it was sweet. 

Before they got on, Cass and Lexie were let off. As she walked passed them, Cass purposefully walked into Helena. That finally made Helena smile. She turned to watch the girls go, and when Lexie looked back at them, Helena waved. 

“You’re an asshole,” Dinah laughed. 

Helena shrugged. “I know.”

Finally, their turn arrived to get on the ride. Helena paused for a moment before the worker could help them climb onto the small platform. 

“You good?” Dinah asked. 

Helena cleared her throat. “I...yeah.”

Dinah eyed her. “Do you not want to ride?”

Helena shook her head. “You want to, so I want to. Let’s do it.”

With a deep breath, she climbed onto the seat next to Dinah. The bar was dropped onto their laps, securing them in place, and Dinah was so excited. 

Helena...less so.

When the wheel began to move, Dinah looked down to see her knuckles white as she gripped the lap bar. 

They kept moving, higher and higher, and Dinah noticed Helena was holding her breath. 

“Baby?” Dinah asked when they were a little more than half-way to the top, about the 10 o’clock position. The wheel had paused and they were gently swaying thanks to the wind. 

“Mmm,” Helena sounded. She was practically glaring at the ground.

Dinah rubbed her arm. “Are you okay? You haven’t breathed in like a minute.”

“I’m good,” Helena squeaked out. 

Helena did not look good. She was pale—more than usual—and there was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She didn’t let up her death grip on the bar, even when Dinah was trying to hold her hand. Dinah thought she could feel Helena shake. 

“Shit,” Dinah sighed, realizing what was wrong. “Honey, are you afraid of heights?”

“No,” Helena instantly replied, defensive. 

Dinah groaned. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because I’m not afraid of anything.”

The wheel creaked as it began to move again. 

“Fuck,” Helena shook out, eyes squeezing shut and shaking suddenly. 

Their cart reached the top and paused. Helena shook almost violently. 

“Hey, hey,” Dinah said, “Shit, babe, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. How have we been together for three years and I didn’t know you’re afraid of heights?”

“I’m not afraid of heights,” Helena argued. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

Dinah rubbed her arm comfortingly. “It’s okay to be afraid. It’s not okay to not tell me first. I wouldn’t have brought you up here!”

“I didn’t...” 

“What?”

“I didn’t want you to...to...”

Dinah was confused. “What? Be mad or something? Be upset?”

“No,” Helena sighed. “I didn’t want you to, like, think I was a wimp, or something. I didn’t want you to laugh at me.”

Dinah sighed. “Honey! I wouldn’t have! I just wouldn’t have dragged you up here!”

Helena peeked an eye open. “You wouldn’t have laughed?”

“Of course not! Honestly, knowing you’re afraid of  something makes me solidify that I’m not married to a robot.”

Helena slightly smiled. “Ha-ha.”

Dinah pretended to be a robot. “Beep-boop, I am Helena Bertinelli-Lance, I love my wife.”

Helena breathed out a laugh. 

Dinah put an arm around Helena’s shoulders. “There’s my girl. Hey, just breathe. It’ll be over soon, ‘kay? When we get close enough, I’ll ask the guy to let us off.”

Helena took a deep breath and nodded. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Dinah complained again.

“I’m sorry—“

“Don’t apologize. Just. Tell me when there’s something up, okay? I don’t care what it is, if it’s going to make you uncomfortable, tell me.”

Helena nodded. 

The wheel moved again. They were lowered about two car lengths before it paused again. 

Dinah held out her hand. “Want to hold my hand?”

After long seconds of trying to work up the courage, Helena pried her fist off the bar and quickly gripped Dinah’s hand. 

“Ow, oh, okay,” Dinah said, “Hold, not break, baby.”

Helena slightly let up. “Sorry.”

Dinah still had an arm around Helena’s shoulder, so she gently stroked the back of Helena’s head. Helena let out a breathe and slightly eased. 

“Want me to sing?” Dinah asked. Singing always comforted Helena. 

The wheel jolted and their car swayed from the wind. 

“Uh...sure,” Helena quickly said.

Dinah rubbed the back of her head, pulling strands of hair and twisting them in her fingers. She cleared her throat and began, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...”

Helena slowly eased as Dinah sang. The car began to move again, and Helena worked to steady her breathing. Dinah just kept singing quietly and stroking Helena’s hair. 

Finally, they got to the 4 o’clock position and Dinah thought it was close enough to the ground. 

“Hey!” she yelled down, peering over the edge. 

The car teetered and swayed. Helena gasped and squeezed Dinah’s hand. 

The worker on the ground looked up. “Yeah?”

“Mind letting us off when we get there?”

The guy threw a thumbs up, and Dinah sat back. 

“He’ll let us off,” she said. 

Helena nodded. 

The guy was quick about it, and Dinah was thankful. He stopped the wheel for them and quickly unlocked the lap bar. 

“She gonna hurl?” he asked.

Dinah wrapped an arm around Helena’s waist and ushered her off the platform. “Hope not,” she said. “Thanks.”

Dinah got Helena far away from the Ferris wheel and to the food stands again. She bought a bottle of water from the nearest truck.

“Drink,” Dinah demanded. 

Helena took the bottle and downed half of it in one go. Dinah pushed damp hair off her forehead. 

“You good?” Dinah asked. 

Helena nodded. “Getting there.”

“Damn, I can’t believe I didn’t know you’re afraid of heights. How do you ride airplanes?”

“They serve alcohol.”

Dinah chuckled. “I am sorry, babe.”

“It’s not your fault,” Helena said. “I appreciate it, though.”

Dinah kissed her cheek. “Thanks for not puking on me.”

Helena laughed. “It’s not like I want to throw up. It’s just...I, like, lock up, I guess. Like when...” she shrugged. “Like when someone gets a good hit on you. Or that time you got stabbed.”

“Lightly stabbed.”

Helena shook her head. “Whatever. I just get paralyzed with fear. That’s how I feel with heights, too.”

“Well, I think you did really well facing that today. I’m proud of you. If it was me and something I’m afraid of? Fuck that.”

“Yeah, like spi—“

“Don’t even fucking  _say_ the word. Don’t even  _think_ it.”

Helena laughed and took a drink from the bottle again. 

Dinah soothingly rubbed Helena’s back as she calmed, and they just stood in the same spot until Helena was ready to move. She was still pale, but she was open to tasting that funnel cake. 

They were in line to order when Cass approached them again. She was alone. 

“Shit, what happened to you?” Cass asked. 

Dinah nudged her. “None of your business. Where’s your girl?”

“She’s not my girl,” Cass said. “And I don’t think she will be. I don’t think she likes me.”

Dinah eyed her. “‘Kay, but where’d she go?”

“She went to the bathroom, Canary, Jesus!”

Dinah threw her hands up in defense. “I brought her here, I’m responsible for getting her home!”

Their turn in line arrived and Helena quickly ordered. She turned to Cass. “Want something?”

Casa shrugged. “Coke?”

“Two Cokes, please?” 

Helena paid while Dinah and Cass stepped away. 

“Why’d you say she doesn’t like you?” Dinah asked. 

Cass shrugged again. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think she does, but then I think she’s just being nice. And she’s my friend. So that’s how she is, just nice.”

“Who’s nice?” Helena asked, approaching them with two Cokes and a funnel cake. She handed Cass the two Cokes. “One for your girl.”

“She’s not my girl,” Cass said through clenched teeth. 

Helena raised an eyebrow. Dinah waved her off. 

“Why don’t you ask her?” Dinah asked. 

“Shit, Canary,” Cass said, “You can’t just ask people that.”

“Ah, to be fourteen.”

Helena laughed. Like she knew what it was like to be a normal fourteen-year-old.

“I would talk to her,” Dinah added. 

“And,” Helena continued, “That girl definitely likes you. She looks at you like—“

Dinah stopped her. “Oh, what do you know? It took you forever to realize I was flirting.”

“Oh please—“

Casa spoke up. “Yeah, didn’t it take you, like, a year to propose?”

Helena glared at them. “At least she married me—“

Dinah moved between them like they were going to fight. “Okay, also, nobody’s marrying anybody. I’d talk to her, though.”

Cass nodded and sipped her soda. 

Lexie finally returned to them a minute later. She hopped happily up to them, smiling and looking excited. 

“Uh, here,” Cass said, offering Lexie the Coke. 

Lexie took it as her smile grew. “Thanks! That’s so sweet of you!”

Dinah smiled as Cass slightly blushed. She was glad Helena let Cass take the win, even though Helena thought to get one for Lexie. 

After Lexie took a drink, she pulled on Cass’ jacket sleeve. “Come on, let’s try to win a stuffed animal!”

Helena reached for her pocket. “Here—“

Dinah held up a hand to stop her. 

“I got it,” Cass said through clenched teeth, this time trying to be discreet. 

Lexie just looked happy and pulled Cass along. 

“What did I do?” Helena asked. 

“She was trying to impress Lexie,” Dinah told her. 

Helena shook her head. “Girls are so confusing.”

“Mmm,” Dinah sighed. She leaned over and kissed her cheek. 

Helena smiled. “Help me eat this?”

“Of course,” Dinah said, peeling a bite off. 

They walked around finishing their treat for a while. The sun was setting and Dinah knew the girls would be out of tickets and out of money soon, so they parked themselves on a bench to wait for the kids like the old people they felt like after riding so many rides and eating so much junk. 

Sure enough, the girls found them a while later. Lexie was holding a small stuffed pig. 

“Hey, you won something!” Dinah said excitedly. 

“Actually,” Lexie said, “Cass won it and gave it to me.” She looked at Cass with so much admiration, Dinah’s heart nearly burst. 

“Well—“

“How?!” Helena cried. “How did you win—where—which game—show me!”

Cass and Lexie looked confused. Dinah just patted Helena’s knee. 

“No,” she said. “Let’s go.”

“But—“

Dinah stood and grabbed Helena’s hand. “Time to go home.”

“But—“

Dinah yanked Helena along as the girls trailed behind laughing. 

As they drove, the four women in the car were quiet. Dinah knew she was tired from the day and Helena was usually quiet, but she didn’t know why the girls were quiet. She hoped everything was okay between them. 

Nothing happened in the car until Helena reached over and grabbed Dinah’s hand that was resting between them. Dinah looked over and smiled at Helena. 

“Your aunts are really cool,” Dinah then heard Lexie whisper from the backseat. 

“Yeah, I know,” Cass replied. 

Dinah glanced at Helena out the corner of her eye, and Helena was smiling proudly. 

When they dropped Lexie off, Cass got out of the car to walk Lexie to her front door. They walked slowly and close together, and Dinah knew they were just wasting time to be together. She thought it was sweet. 

Of course they couldn’t hear the girls, but before Cass returned to the car, Lexie stepped forward and pulled Cass into a tentative but tight hug. It was cute, and Dinah’s heart was bursting for the young love. 

After the hug ended, Lexie quickly ran inside her house and Cass quickly returned to the car. 

As she settled in the backseat, Dinah and Helena both turned around in their seats to look at her. 

“So...” Dinah teased.

“Fuck off,” Cass replied, but it had no bite. She was happy. 

Dinah and Helena both laughed and turned back in their seats. 

Cass was quietly typing on her phone as they drove her back to Harley’s. Dinah knew she was already texting Lexie, but chose not to tease the poor kid any more. 

Cass genuinely thanked them as she got out of the car. Dinah said it was no problem and meant it; she was glad to spoil the kid and make sure she was safe. She was glad to be reliable for Cass. 

Finally, Dinah and Helena were on their way home. 

“Did you at least have fun?” Helena asked after a few silent minutes. “Despite me ruining the Ferris wheel?”

“You didn’t ruin it,” Dinah insisted. “Ruining it would have been puking on the people below us.”

Helena laughed. “Actually, that would have been kind of funny.”

Dinah laughed back. “You’re fucked up.”

Helena just smiled. 

Dinah squeezed her hand. “I did have fun, though. Thanks for taking me.”

“It wasn’t for you.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Just let me have this.”

Helena grinned. She lifted Dinah’s hand and kissed her knuckles. 

“We should have brought some cotton candy home,” Helena said. 

Dinah just rolled her eyes. 


	65. Accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone’s fav trope: amnesia! 
> 
> Of course there’s an amnesia fic.
> 
> Hope you enjoy, thank you for reading!

Dinah had been crippled with fear twice in her life. Fear, like, honest to God shock that made her drop to the ground and feel like the world just sucker punched her in the gut type of fear.

The first time was when the police officer found her walking home to inform her that her mother had been killed. Dinah dropped her bag, let the words waft through her, then fell to her knees. Charlie, her friend, had been there to wrap his arms around her in comfort. 

The second time was when the hospital called to inform her that Helena had been hit by a car while riding her motorcycle and was transported to the trauma hospital all the way across town. Dinah was alone. She dropped the knife she was holding—she’d been dicing tomatoes to put into a salad—and slowly sat on the floor. The nurse gave her additional information, including but not limited to the fact that Helena still hadn’t woken up, and Dinah thanked her and hung up. 

Dinah’s stomach felt like it was going to fall out. She thought she was going to puke. But instead, she focused on Helena, not herself, and getting to Helena as quickly as possible. 

Dinah got a cab instead of driving herself, because she didn’t trust herself to arrive safely. She was paralyzed with fear. Just like the day her mother died, and the cop had to physically pick her up to put her in the back of her car to drive her to the police station, Dinah felt like someone needed to pick her up now. 

Helena wasn’t dead, she kept telling herself. That was the difference. Helena would go home with her in no time. 

Dinah got to the hospital and wandered to the front desk in the emergency room. 

“Can I help you?” the nice receptionist asked. 

“Uh, Helena Bertinelli,” Dinah instantly said, then shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m looking for her.”

The receptionist gave a little smile. “No problem,” she said before checking her chart. She pointed Dinah in the right direction and Dinah followed where she needed to go. 

Helena had already been placed in ICU. That made Dinah infinitely more scared. Was Helena not okay? Was she more hurt than Dinah thought? Was she...

No, Dinah couldn’t let herself think anything bad. She couldn’t let her worst fear take over. 

She got to the area where Helena was and another receptionist stopped her. 

“Can I help you?” she kindly asked, too. 

“I’m looking for Helena Bertinelli,” Dinah was able to say that time. 

“Can I get your name?”

“Dinah Lance.”

“Great. Let me walk you over,” the nurse said. As they walked down the hall, she continued, “Well, good news Ms. Lance, while you were on your way, Ms. Bertinelli did wake up.”

“Oh thank God,” Dinah said, breathing a sigh of relief. 

The nurse looked nervous. “The, uh, the problem, Ms. Lance, is that is appears Ms. Bertinelli is suffering from amnesia.”

Dinah was instantly confused. “What, like, she can’t remember anything?”

The nurse nodded. 

“For...for how long?”

“That’s a question we don’t know the answer to,” the nurse said. “Could be days, weeks...”

Dinah heard the underlying ‘longer’. 

“How...how is she, though?”

“She seemed upset, which is understandable. After waking up in a hospital, one would be.”

Dinah nodded. 

“Use your judgement on what to tell her,” the nurse said. “If you think it might be too much for her to take, like if a beloved pet died just yesterday, I probably wouldn’t tell her yet. But you decide. You know her best.”

Dinah nodded again. 

“Well, that’s her room. Go ahead and go in by yourself. Press the button for assistance.”

“Thank you so much.”

The nurse gave a careful smile, then Dinah went into the room. 

Helena was laying in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. As soon as Dinah walked in, she lifted her head and fixed Dinah with a stare. Her pulse monitor ticked up. 

“You’re not a doctor,” Helena said. “Have I seen you before?”

Dinah got a good look at her face. Helena had a black eye already, a fat and cut lip. Dinah thanked God she was wearing a helmet, but she knew impact must have been brutal for Helena to get that jumbled in her head. Helena also had her arm resting on a pillow and a splint holding it together and wrapped in a clothe cast. Dinah assumed it was broken. Other than that, Helena was in one piece. 

Dinah was relieved. 

She remembered Helena spoke. 

“No, I’m not a doctor,” she confirmed. 

Helena looked at her through slit eyes. “Who are you, then?”

Dinah frowned. “I’m Dinah. Dinah Lance.”

Helena’s monitor ticked up again. Dinah barely noticed because she was focused on Helena. 

“Do I know you?”

Dinah nodded. “Yeah,” was all Dinah could say. 

“How?” Helena asked, skeptical. 

Dinah didn’t really know what to say. Should she tell Helena...

Yes, Dinah decided. She needed to. But first she needed more information as to what Helena did remember. 

“Do you know what year it is?” Dinah asked. 

“2017.”

Dinah schooled her emotions to not wince. “And...do you know where you are?”

“They said I’m in Gotham. But...how did I get here? I shouldn’t be here. Nobody knows...” Helena’s eyebrows furrowed. “And who  are you?!”

Dinah nervously licked her lips. Well, Helena thought it was 2017, so that was as far back as she remembered. Dinah didn’t know much about her life then, just that she was in Sicily at that point, but Dinah figured letting her know they were together wasn’t that shocking. 

“I’m...” Dinah was still nervous. Like coming out to family for the first time. Fucking why? “We’re...” she lied, “Roommates.”

Helena looked surprised. “Really? Here in Gotham?”

Dinah nodded. “Yeah. You came back here.”

“Why?” Helena asked, suddenly sounding mad. “Did I...I was going to...” she looked at the still open door. 

“You did,” Dinah said. “That’s...kind of how we met.”

Helena looked confused. “...how.”

“It’s...a long story, actually. But now we live together.”

“That’s it?” Helena asked. “Alright. But you know I...you know?”

Dinah knew what Helena was asking: if she finished the kill list. Dinah nodded. 

Helena looked relieved. “Alright.”

“There’s something else,” Dinah decided to say. “I’m...that is...you and I...”

Helena stared at her. “What?”

“We’re...we’re together.”

Helena’s pulse monitor ticked. “What, like right now? In this room?”

Dinah didn’t even let the cluelessness effect her. “No, like...we’re dating. We live together and we’re dating.”

Helena’s pulse was still quickening. She just stared at Dinah. 

“Am I dead?” Helena finally asked. 

Dinah was confused. “What? No, why would you—“

“Because there’s no way.”

Dinah thought that was oddly sweet. 

Helena suddenly growled and tore the pulse monitor off her finger. “Fucking, shut up!”

_ The rage _ , Dinah thought. Uh-oh.

“You, uh, shouldn’t take that off,” Dinah told her. 

Helena rolled her eyes and clipped it back on. 

Dinah watched Helena lay back and stare at the ceiling again. She wanted to comfort Helena in some way. Cry out of joy that she was alive. But she couldn’t. She was too stunned by Helena’s amnesia. 

A second later, there was a gentle knock on the door and the nurse from earlier entered the room. 

“Everything okay in here?” she asked. She went over to Helena’s monitors to check. 

“Yeah,” Dinah said, “The, uh, pulse thing came off.”

The nurse nodded. “Keep it on,” she warned Helena. 

Helena glared at her. “Why?”

“So we can know you’re okay.”

“Obviously, I’m okay.”

The nurse looked patient. Like she dealt with difficult patients daily. 

“Just leave it, please?”

Helena rolled her eyes. “I’m not a baby.”

“If you’re good, you can order Jell-O with dinner.”

Helena glared. “I hate Jell-O.”

Dinah wanted to argue that Helena had grown to love Jell-O, but she didn’t. Maybe that was the big news the nurse warned about. 

Usually, Dinah would scold Helena for acting like a baby, but she would secretly think her little tantrums were adorable. Now, Dinah just worried Helena reverted back to that angry girl they all met at the Booby-Trap all those months ago. 

“I’ll check on you later,” the nurse said. 

Before she left the room, she scooted the chair to Dinah, who was still standing awkwardly next to Helena’s bed. 

“Unless you were going to leave,” she said. 

Helena looked at her with giant eyes. Dinah shook her head. She sat down, making Helena look almost relieved. 

When the nurse left, Helena spent another two minutes grumbling. 

Dinah decided...she needed to treat Helena like she would normally treat her. Maybe not kiss her and hug her yet, but like she knew Helena. 

“Why are you mad?” Dinah asked. 

“I’m not mad,” Helena spit out. 

“I should tell you, I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re lying.”

Helena glared at the ceiling. 

Dinah wanted so badly to reach out and stroke Helena’s bruised arm. She wanted to kiss it all make it go away—

“You’re really...” Helena swallowed, then asked quietly, “my...girlfriend?”

Dinah frowned. “Yeah.”

Helena deflated. She looked possibly even more upset. 

“Is that...” Dinah felt like crying. “Is that okay?”

“No,” Helena said. 

Dinah’s eyes did fill with tears. “Oh—“

“I can’t believe I got a girlfriend and I can’t remember.”

Dinah was confused. “You...you’re mad because you...”

Helena slammed her good fist on the bed next to her. “I can’t remember. I can’t remember!” 

She suddenly burst into tears. Dinah had rarely seen her cry, maybe twice she had before, and both times were subtle. Not a full on sob. 

Dinah knew Helena was scared, probably just as scared as she felt. Helena was the one this was happening to, and although Dinah was along for the ride, it wasn’t really happening to her. 

“Hey, hey,” Dinah whispered. She stood quickly and practically laid over her, careful of her arm but wanting to be close. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay,” Helena cried. “Why can’t I remember you? It’s not fair!”

“Hey,” Dinah sighed. She pulled back to look down into Helena’s eyes. “Calm down, ‘Kay? I’m here. And you’re here,” Dinah realized she was crying when a teardrop landed on Helena’s cheek. “And that’s...that’s all that matters. ‘Kay?”

Helena looked up at her with wide, wet eyes. She nodded. 

Dinah couldn’t help it. She was so relieved and so emotional, she felt incredibly joyful that Helena was there, solid and alive under her.

Dinah leaned forward and gave Helena a careful kiss on the lips. She was careful because of Helena’s cuts and bruises, but it felt incredible. Helena was alive; it was the best kiss Dinah ever had. 

When she pulled back again, Helena was just staring at her with wide eyes. 

Dinah was about to apologize, sit back down and wait for Helena to initiate anything else, but before she could, Helena sighed, “Wow.”

Dinah softly smiled. 

“So, we’re really together?” 

Dinah let out a chuckle. “Why would I lie about that?”

Helena shrugged. 

Dinah kissed high on her cheekbone, over a bruise forming. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Helena finally smiled. “Tell me everything, then.”

Dinah spent the next hour telling Helena everything. Helena’s dinner even arrived and Dinah kept talking. 

She told Helena how they met, about Helena finishing the list, about Dinah moving in to her apartment, about them having feelings for each other but not knowing about the other until they practically burst, about their first kiss, about their apartment, about their separate bedrooms but still sleep together every night—

“Wait,” Helena said after that one. “Why do we have separate bedrooms, then? If we sleep together every night anyway.”

Dinah paused. “That...I don’t know.”

Helena chuckled. “Seems silly.”

“We like our space,” Dinah said. “I guess.”

Helena was still smiling. 

Dinah watched her pick at her food. Helena wasn’t a picky eater, but she was picky on how the food was prepared and authentic versus fake and fresh foods versus canned. Helena’s mashed potatoes and chicken looked bland, and Dinah couldn’t blame her for not eating. But there was Jell-O on the tray, and Dinah noticed Helena glaring at it. 

“You know,” Dinah said carefully. “You...like Jell-O.”

Helena’s eyes widened and snapped up to meet Dinah’s. “What?!”

“Yeah, I...I don’t know why. One day you tried it and decided you liked it. I think you were trying to be an ass because you knew how much I was looking forward to eating the last cup. So you ate it before I could.”

Helena kind of frowned. “Am I...am I awful to you?”

“What?! No! You were messing with me! I thought it was funny! You went out and bought me a new pack, like, that night. In fact, you bought ten packs.”

Helena looked relieved. “Am I a good...you know...good to you?”

Dinah smiled softly. “Baby, you are incredible to me.”

Helena smiled back. “I like that.”

Dinah played with her good hand. “What?”

“You...calling me that.”

They had a conversation just like that early in their relationship. Helena admitted how much she loved it—which was a lot—and Dinah knew she would probably never call Helena by her name ever again. Just to make Helena feel loved. 

Dinah kissed her hand. “I’m glad.”

Helena smiled. “So, tell me something else. What do we do together?”

Dinah chuckled. “We fight crime.”

“Wait,  _ what _ ?!”

“Me, you, and our friend Renee fight crime. We’re called the Birds of Prey.”

Helena blinked at her. “You’re not serious.”

Dinah smiled. “I am serious.”

Helena looked out at the room, at nothing in particular. Dinah wanted to know what she was thinking. She wanted to know if Helena was going to disband the Birds now—

“That may be crazier than finding out someone wants to date me.”

Dinah couldn’t help it. She let out a hardy laugh. 

Helena looked confused, like she wasn’t sure why Dinah was laughing. Or that someone found her funny. 

Dinah kissed her arm. “I agree, it is pretty wild. We have fun, though.”

Helena’s surprise didn’t let up. But she let it go, choosing to poke at her bland dinner instead. 

Dinah just watched her. She was overcome with emotion that Helena was sitting there, alive. All of Dinah’s worst fears included Helena, and one had occurred, but Helena was alive, breathing, grumbling about her dinner, and while Dinah had calmed her enough to not be too angry, she was still personally offended by her dinner, like she would be, and—

Dinah didn’t realize she was crying. Helena looked over at her. 

“Are you okay?” Helena asked. 

Dinah wiped her eyes. “Yeah, sorry.”

Helena furrowed her eyebrows. “Don’t...don’t be  _ sorry _ .”

That was something Helena would say. The new-Helena, not the rage-filled-Helena they’d all met all that time ago. In their time together, Helena had learned empathy, if only towards Dinah, and Dinah could hear her trying to say that now, trying to be empathetic even if it wasn’t natural at the moment. 

Dinah squeezed her arm. “I’m just relieved that you’re okay.”

Helena gave a tiny smile. “Something tells me...I’m glad, too.”

Dinah kissed her shoulder. 

Helena’s free hand had been busy trying to open her Jell-O, so she went back to struggling with it. Dinah watched as she dried her eyes. In short seconds, Helena was growling at the cup, then she picked it up and threw it at the tray in front of her. It fell to the floor. 

“Dramatic motherfucker,” Dinah muttered with a tease as she bent to pick it up. “You could ask for help.”

Helena stared like that hadn’t occurred to her. Dinah was continuously reminded how new to  _ being human _ Helena was when they first met. Also, how soft she was only when it came to Dinah. 

Dinah opened the cup for her. “Need me to feed you, too?”

Helena glared, but then glare had no bite. She picked up her own spoon and dug into the Jell-O.She did like it, to Dinah’s relief. 

“So,” Helena said, mouth full of Jell-O. “What else do we do together?”

“Well, I work at a bar as a singer and bartender. And you hang around most nights.”

Helena nodded. “Sounds cool.”

“You like to take rides into the mountains on your...” Dinah paused. She didn’t know if mention of the motorcycle was going to be triggering.

“Motorcycle...” Helena supplied. “It’s okay.”

Dinah nodded. “So, yeah, you take rides. But you’ll be out of that for a while.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Do you...remember the accident, then?”

“Not really,” Helena answered. “I know something hit me, then it was all...dark. Jumbled.” She shrugged. 

“Maybe it’s good you don’t remember.”

“Maybe,” Helena agreed. 

Dinah rubbed Helena’s arm. 

“So do we...” Helena looked coy, a classic Helena look. “You know...” She wiggled her eyebrows to try to flirt. 

“Oh my god, really? You’re really asking about—“ Dinah rolled her eyes. “I shouldn’t even tell you.”

“Oh, come on. You can tell me.”

Dinah sighed. “Fine, we—“ Dinah paused. “You know what, if you can’t even say it, you don’t deserve to know.”

“Come on!”

Dinah shook her head. “Nope. Not saying a word.”

Helena laid back against her pillow. She was staring up at the ceiling looking smug. 

“What’s that look for?” Dinah asked. 

“I got a girlfriend,” Helena said proudly. 

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Dork,” she said with love. 

Helena’s hand grasped her arm. “Are you sure, though?” she asked. “You’re like, really hot.”

Dinah chuckled. She pushed hair off Helena’s forehead. “That’s the drugs talking.”

“That’s me observing,” Helena said. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in real life.”

Dinah smiled down at her. “That’s sweet.”

“Surely you have people lining up at your door—“

Dinah stopped her. “I choose you, always.” She leaned down at kissed Helena’s cheek. 

Helena gave a little smile. She puckered her lips, so Dinah kissed her lips next. It was a simple kiss, careful, loving, but Dinah still heard Helena’s pulse monitor raise. 

Dinah backed off with a laugh. “Now I know how you feel every time I kiss you.”

Helena nodded. She looked up at Dinah with big eyes. “It seems right.”

Dinah stroked her cheek. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Helena stretched up to give Dinah a tiny kiss. “Me too,” she said as she laid back down. 


	66. Exes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You have horrible taste.” “I married you.”
> 
> I know nothing about Oliver Queen. I’ve never seen Arrow. But Helena definitely wouldn’t like him.

Helena actively hated meeting people.

It didn’t matter what people they were, who they were, or how they met...she just truly hated having to meet new people. 

It was a million times worse when that person was Dinah’s ex.

And Helena was never a jealous person. Dinah had a fair share of both men and women whose eye she caught. Dinah was a very, very beautiful woman. Helena didn’t blame anybody for staring when Dinah entered a room. She didn’t blame anyone for talking to Dinah for too long, for smiling, for flirting. Helena just got a smug smile every time Dinah inevitably returned to her. 

But Dinah’s ex...

The hatred was pretty much instant. 

“Baby...”

Helena didn’t even look up, partly because she wasn’t paying attention to the two exchanging too-familiar pleasantries and partly because the immature pettiness in her was asking, ‘well which one of us are you talking to?’

“This is Ollie,” Dinah said.

Helena did look up, then. 

“Ollie, this is Helena.”

The man smiled. He held out his hand to shake Helena’s, but she glanced down at his hand once before looking away, making it more than clear that she was not going to shake his hand. 

Helena didn’t like his look. He was gruff, with annoying facial hair and short brown hair. All of the hair on his head and face was roughly the same length, and for some reason it really bothered Helena. He looked cocky, like one of  those guys, the kind nobody really liked talking to but everyone insisted was a sweetheart. 

Plus, he let Dinah Lance go. So he was obviously really fucking stupid. 

“Di,” he said, teasing, “Did you finally settle down?”

Dinah smiled impossibly wider and held out her hand. Helena refrained from rolling her eyes. 

‘Ollie’ whistled like he was impressed. “What a rock. What do you do, Helena?”

“I kill people,” Helena said, voice deeper in an act of intimidation. 

Dinah elbowed her. “She’s on the team with me. The Birds of Prey.”

“I heard about that,” ‘Ollie’ said. “Bruce wasn’t too happy, you guys impeding on his city—“

“His city is a shit show,” Helena cut in. 

‘Ollie’ chuckled, practically smirking. Helena couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Did he think they were getting along?

“Yeah, I agree. Maybe you better work harder,” he said, playfully nudging Dinah. 

Helena frowned deeply. 

Dinah tsk’d. “You know how it is. We’re lucky to get a good night’s sleep.”

‘Ollie’ nodded. “Speaking of which, I am expected back. But it was really, really good to see you, Di. Seriously, we need to catch up.”

Helena almost growled. No they sure as shit did not. 

Dinah smiled, though. “For sure. Give me a call next time you’re in town. Same number.”

Helena glanced at her. 

Dinah ignored her in favor of leaning in to hug ‘Ollie’. Helena’s cheeks heated up and she felt like she could burn a hole through ‘Ollie’s skull. 

“See you, Ollie,” Dinah said sweetly. 

‘Ollie’ fucking pecked her cheek to say goodbye. Yup. Holes in his skull. 

‘Ollie’ finally walked away. Helena crossed her arms. Dinah waved as ‘Ollie’ crossed the street and glanced once more at the couple. Helena stood up straighter and tried look somehow more intimidating. 

When ‘Ollie’ disappeared through the people on the street, Dinah finally turned to Helena. Her smile dropped. 

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered. 

“I don’t like him.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. She grabbed Helena’s arm and yanked it down so she would stop standing cross-armed. 

“Come on. I’ll buy you a cookie from the bakery down the street.”

Helena glared. “I don’t want a cookie.”

Dinah pressed up on her toes to give Helena a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re a brat, you know that? You got me. Why’re you so mad?”

Helena kept glaring. “He just didn’t deserve you.”

“You didn’t even know—“

“I know.”

Dinah rolled her eyes again. She rubbed Helena’s arms with both hands. “Well, you know, you and I deserve each other. And that’s all that matters.”

Helena looked her in the eyes. “Yeah,” she agreed. 

Dinah furrowed her eyebrows to mock Helena. “Yeah,” she grumbled out, voice mockingly deep like Helena, too. “Love you,” she said in the same voice, then kissed the side of Helena’s mouth. 

Helena couldn’t help but crack a smile. “I still don’t like him. What kind of person is named ‘Ollie’?”

“It’s short for—“

“I don’t care!”

Dinah chuckled. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You have horrible taste.”

Dinah’s eyes grew and she looked shocked. “Wh- me ?! I married  you !” 

“Like I said! Horrible!”

Dinah sighed. She grabbed Helena’s hand. “You are completely ridiculous. And I love you. Now, maybe you can get me that cookie.”

“Fine,” Helena agreed. “And I...love you, too.”

“Gee,” Dinah deadpanned. “How sweet.”

“What?”

Dinah shook her head. “Nothing, nothing. Come on! Cookie!” She yanked on Helena’s hand towards the direction of the bakery. 

Helena gladly followed, happy that ‘Ollie’ left, happy that she will probably never hear of him again, and happy to have Dinah’s hand tightly holding hers. 


	67. Shirts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Person A keeps stealing Person B’s clothes 
> 
> Warning for smut!
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Dinah hardly paid attention to Helena wandering from her own bedroom into Dinah’s. She did note that Helena was down to her bra and underwear, because  _ hello _ , but it was not enough of a distraction to put her book down.

Helena exited Dinah’s bedroom and huffed before disappearing into her own room again. Dinah considered asking what she was doing, if something was wrong, but she couldn’t bring herself to form words. Reading her book was too peaceful. 

Not three minutes later, Helena exited her bedroom for the second time, but this time called out to Dinah before she entered Dinah’s bedroom. 

“Babe? Have you seen  _ any _ of my shirts?”

Helena liked to wear comfortable tank tops that had a high-neck and low arms. They were so soft, and they smelled like her laundry, and they were so cute, and—

Dinah liked to wear them, too. 

Dinah glanced down at herself wearing a black one, the last shirt that was left in Helena’s drawer. 

So Dinah also didn’t tell Helena she borrowed them, either. And she didn’t wash them because she didn’t want Helena to find out. It didn’t really matter; Helena would just buy some more when she was running low. Apparently she hadn’t bought any more, hence why she was wandering back and forth in search of something to wear. 

“No!” Dinah called to her. 

Helena left Dinah’s bedroom. “Are you sure? Because—“ Helena laid eyes on Dinah and paused. “Where did you get that shirt?”

Dinah purposefully looked away. “Nowhere.”

Helena sighed loudly. “You stole my shirt!”

“I...borrowed it.”

Helena glared at Dinah. “Have you been stealing  _ all _ of my shirts?!”

“.......No.”

Helena threw her hands in the air. “I keep having to buy more! Because you’re stealing—“

“Borrowing—“

“You aren’t returning them! That is complete thievery!”

Dinah’s jaw dropped. “How dare you accuse me of—“

“You’re  _ wearing _ the evidence!”

Dinah stood. “Fine. Have it back.” She ripped off Helena’s shirt and threw it at her, leaving her topless in their living room. Except unlike Helena, she wasn’t wearing a bra. 

Helena’s eyebrows raised. Dinah crossed her arms to cover herself. 

Dinah stepped toward her bedroom. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—“

Helena turned and darted into Dinah’s bedroom. Dinah had no choice but to chase her, but she was totally surprise to run into her bedroom to find Helena throwing a dresser drawer open and yanking all of her shirts out.

“The fuck?!” Dinah cried. “What are you doing?!”

“You stole mine, I’m stealing yours!”

“You fucking—“ Dinah dove at Helena, but Helena jumped out of the way. “Give me one!”

“No!” Helena yelled, but she was laughing. 

Dinah didn’t quite find it funny yet, since she was the one running around with her chest out. 

Helena ran out of Dinah’s room, and Dinah was right behind her as she ran into her room. 

“Give them back!” Dinah cried. 

“Make me!”

Helena was standing in front of her bed. Dinah grinned evilly, with a wicked idea, before sighing. 

“Fine. I don’t need one. I’ll just stay topless forever.” She stepped past Helena and dropped onto the bed. Then, Dinah raised her arms over her head and stretched her back off the mattress. 

Helena’s eyes were glued to her. Her jaw was hanging open and Dinah knew she was playing dirty. 

Dinah smirked. “This is fine. Keep them all.”

Helena licked her lips and swallowed loudly. “Fine.”

Dinah sighed loudly again. “I do have to go to the grocery store later,” she teased. She ran her own fingers up her stomach to her chest, then circled a fingertip over one nipple. “Hope it’s not too... cold in there.”

Helena suddenly dropped Dinah’s shirts and quickly straddled her thighs. She grabbed Dinah’s hands and pulled them over her head, stretching Dinah out on the bed again. 

Dinah chuckled as Helena laid over her. 

“Do you have to play so dirty?” Helena asked, taking Dinah’s hands in one of hers so she could rake blunt fingernails down the swell of Dinah’s chest, eliciting goosebumps all the way down. 

Dinah squirmed. “You accused me of—“

“You did steal—“

“You  took mine—“

Helena teasingly pinched Dinah’s nipple. Dinah gasped and arched up toward Helena’s hand. 

Helena grinned. “You were saying?”

Dinah shook her head. She bucked her hips to try to dislodge Helena, but she knew Helena wasn’t going to move. 

“You’re a—“

Helena swiped her hand to the other side and played with the other nipple. This time, Dinah let out a moan. 

“ I didn’t steal every single one of your shirts. You know how much those shirts cost? If you wanted some, I could’ve just gotten you your own—“

Dinah was watching Helena’s hand, but she was still kind of listening. “I don’t want my own. I want yours.”

Helena’s eyebrows furrowed, but she didn’t let up. She placed her palm over Dinah’s hard nipple and lightly rubbed. 

“Why?” Helena asked. 

Dinah couldn’t believe they were having a conversation about t-shirts while Helena was playing with her tits. Helena was running her hands back and forth, pinching and scratching and driving Dinah crazy. 

“They’re...” Dinah groaned before continuing, “They smell like you. And...they just remind me of you...and...they’re comfy like you—fuck, you’re gonna make me come...”

“Really?” Helena asked. “From this?”

Dinah bit her lip and nodded. 

“Huh,” Helena mumbled, as if she’d discovered something wonderful. She pinched Dinah hard, making Dinah thrust up toward her hand. 

Dinah thought she was doomed forever, with Helena keeping her on edge just to be mean, as payback, but Helena must have taken pity on her, because she leaned down and licked a pert nipple into her mouth.

“Oh,  fuck ...” Dinah sighed, pushing at Helena’s mouth. 

Dinah’s hands were still stuck over her head, so she was completely stretched out for Helena’s roaming tongue. Helena stroked Dinah’s skin back and forth, from one nipple to the other, trailing the veins on the underside of Dinah’s boobs and the swell over the top. Helena sucked and stroked at Dinah’s skin, and it wasn’t long at all before Dinah’s back arched like a bow and she felt an untouched orgasm rip through her. 

“Holy shit,” was the first thing she heard Helena say. “I can’t believe you just...”

“Me neither,” Dinah agreed, catching her breath. 

Helena seemed to realize belatedly that she was still holding Dinah’s hands over her head, so she let Dinah go. Dinah stretched her fingers and gripped Helena’s thighs as she sat up. 

“That was...” Helena muttered, “The hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

Dinah smiled up at her. “I can tell,” she said, trailing her fingers up the inside of Helena’s thighs towards the wetness seeping through Helena’s underwear. 

“I’m serious,” Helena said, “Even if you don’t touch me right now, that was still so. fucking. hot.”

Dinah smiled wider. “It’s all you, baby. And for the record, I totally don’t regret stealing your shirts now.”

Helena chuckled. She rested her hands on either side of Dinah’s head and loomed over her. 

“Maybe you can steal my pants next.”

With both hands, Dinah pulled at the elastic of her underwear. 

“Oh, that can be arranged...” Dinah teased. “That can definitely be arranged.”


	68. Hugs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Person A doesn’t like hugs

It was always Dinah who initiated touching. Dinah was always quick to kiss Helena good morning or good night, quick to hold Helena’s hand in public, and especially quick to give Helena hugs for every occasion.

Helena was not a hugger. 

It wasn’t that Helena didn’t like touch, because in their four months together, she’d grown to love Dinah’s touch. It was just that hugs were awkward and a strange concept. Helena didn’t understand the appeal of holding someone awkwardly against yourself, with their head far too close to yours and arms awkwardly holding someone’s back. Plus, hugs usually lasted far too long and all-in-all, the experience made Helena truly uncomfortable. 

But Helena had endured four months of hugs. Four months of Dinah wrapping her arms around her neck and holding her close. At first, it was fine, because Helena was getting used to Dinah’s body feeling so warm and right in her arms. But during more recent hugs, Helena just wondered what the appeal truly was. 

Dinah wasn’t really a hugger for anyone else, so that was pretty much the only redeeming quality of the hugs. That Helena was the only one Dinah took the time to embrace. That Helena was the only one Dinah wanted to embrace. 

After a while, that wasn’t enough for Helena to like the hugs. 

Dinah seemed to notice. 

“You okay?” she asked after letting Helena’s stiff body go. 

Helena nodded. 

Dinah eyed her. “You sure?”

Helena nodded again, diverted her eyes, then completely turned away. 

Helena went through three more hugs before Dinah finally asked, “Do you dislike hugs?”

They were in bed, and the question caused Helena to automatically recoil, turning onto her back away from Dinah and nervous that Dinah was upset. 

“I just...” She covered her eyes with an arm. 

Dinah grabbed her arm. “Hey, I’m not mad. Don’t do that.”

Helena sighed and lowered her arm. She turned her head to look at Dinah. She looked so open, so willing to listen to Helena. Helena wondered why she couldn’t get passed hugs for the woman. 

“I just don’t like them,” Helena said honestly. “It makes me feel weird. Not a good weird.”

Dinah nodded. “I get it, babe. And I’m sorry. I wish you would’ve told me sooner.”

Helena shrugged. 

Dinah kissed her shoulder. 

Helena didn’t have to pretend to appreciate hugs any longer. Dinah respected her space. She was still close to Helena, which was nice, but there weren’t any hugs. 

Until that one night. 

They were in a fight at an apartment building, busting some guy who had been giving drugs to children but the police wouldn’t go after. 

Of course the guy had a gun, and he pointed it straight into Dinah’s face. 

Helena almost froze, so overcome with fear that she couldn’t think of what to do. But her body seemed to take over on instinct; her arm lifted her bow and shot the guy right in the neck. 

He dropped and Helena had Dinah in her arms before she could fall to the ground. 

Helena wrapped her arms around Dinah’s waist and hoisted her up, and Dinah’s arms wrapped tight around Helena’s neck. Dinah was breathing hard, shaking, and Helena just squeezed her impossibly tight. 

“Hey, hey,” Dinah whispered. 

Helena realized when had been shaking, too. 

“It’s okay, we’re good,” Dinah added. 

Helena buried her face in Dinah’s neck. 

Dinah shook harder, but this time not in fear and adrenaline; this time she was laughing. 

“It took me almost getting shot in the face for you to want a hug.”

Helena didn’t like that Dinah joked about it, but she appreciated Dinah making light of the situation. “Don’t make a habit of it.”

“I’d make a habit of this,” Dinah ran her fingers through Helena’s hair. She kissed Helena’s cheek. 

Helena squeezed her tighter. 

Renee finally found them after securing the building. They were still hugging. 

“Jesus Christ,” she just muttered as she kneeled to check the body’s pulse. 

Dinah pulled away first. Helena was slow to let her go. 

Dinah took Helena’s face in her hands. “Thank you,” she said. 

Helena just looked into her eyes. Dinah smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss before getting back to work. 

After that, Helena still didn’t understand hugs, but she didn’t hate them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The good news is I began work again! I’m a teacher so of course I had the summer off, which added to boredom and writing, so I’m back to semi-normal and now I’ll be writing less. I still have ideas but they’ll be slower getting out. Thanks for reading in the future!
> 
> Hey, next chapter is 69, *wink*.


	69. Positions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it is a 69 chapter.
> 
> But it is also about talking to your partner before trying something new.

Lots of things were...new.

Foods were new. Television was new. Friends were new. 

Sex was absolutely new. 

Dinah was patient. She just wanted to let Helena know that new was okay, that being nervous was okay, and most importantly that sex could be good and loving. That for them, it was because they loved each other that it was good. 

For Dinah, sex could have been meaningless in the past, just something to pass the time both with one-night-stands and with partners nearing the end of their relationship. But with Helena, sex was meaningful, and loving, and beautiful. 

Dinah still absolutely wanted to get to some good stuff. 

It wasn’t that sex was boring or bland; for Helena it was just new. Dinah touching her softly with fingers or tongue was sometimes overwhelming, and Helena returning the favor often got her more wound up than Dinah touching her. 

But it was soft, hitting the peak of finally deciding to get more adventurous. 

Because Dinah wanted Helena in a hundred different ways. It was just a matter of getting the girl there first. 

They were in bed one night whispering over the sheets and gently pattering rain outside. Helena’s head was rested comfortably on Dinah’s chest, like Helena was trying to listen to her thoughts via heartbeat. 

“What are you thinking about?” Helena asked as Dinah distractedly played with her hair. 

Dinah felt bold. She wanted to ask, or maybe open Helena’s eyes, to something so good. 

“How much I want you,” Dinah said honestly. 

Helena smiled. Dinah felt it. 

“I know the feeling,” Helena said. 

Dinah smiled back. “I was just thinking...of some...other ways...to have sex...”

Helena tensed. “Other ways?”

Dinah soothed a hand down Helena’s head and back. “No, not... other ways. Just...new ways. New...positions.”

Helena didn’t relax. “What...did you have in mind?”

Dinah instantly had about a dozen things in mind, but one stood out. 

“Ever heard of a sixty-nine?” she asked, fully knowing Helena had not. 

“Isn’t that when you guys kick someone out of the bar...?”

Dinah paused, confused. But then she realized what Helena meant; it caused her to laugh. “No, that’s eighty-six.”

“Sounds like too many unnecessary numbers.”

Dinah laughed again. “Okay, well...do you want me to tell you what it is?”

Helena was quiet. Dinah took that as a no. 

Dinah stroked her hair, feeling half disappointed. But it was okay. She wasn’t going to pressure Helena into anything she wasn’t comfortable with. 

“Maybe later,” Helena finally said with a yawn. 

Dinah rubbed her head. She contently closed her eyes and drifted to sleep with Helena in her arms. 

* * *

Helena grew curious over the course of a few days. Knowing that it was something to do with sex, knowing that Dinah was somewhat suggesting it, Helena let herself wonder what it meant. 

Finally, one night while Dinah went to work and she decided to stay home, she pulled up her best friend Google on her phone and searched, “ _ What is 69? _ ”

The first two results were web definitions, but reading the words was not as informative as she had hoped. 

_ Giving and receiving oral sex at the same time _ _._..what did that mean? 

The first article that popped up was from Cosmopolitan, so Helena clicked the link. 

She was instantly bombarded with a drawing of two people having sex, and—

Oh.

_ Oh _ . 

Helena understood. She kept staring at the drawing, calculating,  imagining , and...

She was not sure about that. 

As she scrolled and read, there was another drawing of a woman on top of a man as they pleasured each other, and it made Helena even more unsure. The one thing she was unsure of, and frankly embarrassed about, was someone’s eyes and face being that close to the other’s ass. Because usually, when they’re just going down on each other, no ones ass is in anyone’s face. It was practical, less embarrassing. But this way...

Helena was not sure. 

As she kept reading, she realized the article was focused on male and female sex. In reality, she knew it was basically the same mechanics for females, but what if it wasn’t? What if this was an act designed solely for someone with a penis and someone with a vagina?

She needed some more research. 

Helena returned to Google and searched, “ _69_ _for lesbians_ ”. Another Cosmopolitan article popped up, and since she already trusted Cosmopolitan, she clicked the link. 

Instantly, there was a drawing—Helena briefly wondered what it was with the drawings—depicting two women engaging in the position. Thighs open, eyes closed, and Helena imagined...

Yeah . 

That could be...fine. 

Helena read the entire article. One of the important points was communication, and knowing your partner’s body language as both of your mouths would be busy. She knew Dinah and herself were already very good at reading and knowing each other. Dinah was kind and sensitive when it came to Helena’s lack of knowledge, and Dinah was always quick to notice that Helena was uncomfortable sometimes before Helena even realized it. Dinah was good, and Dinah would make the experience good for her. 

She trusted Dinah. Dinah trusted her. 

Helena finished the article. It was very informative and insightful. She felt prepared and no longer steps behind Dinah. 

Helena was ready. 

* * *

Dinah trudged up the stairs to the apartment around two. It was a slow and early night, but she had helped Annie clean up before leaving. 

She was exhausted. It was a slow night, but sometimes the boring nights were more tiring. Dinah was ready to fall into bed and sleep late the next morning. 

Dinah unlocked the front door and was surprised to find Helena still up. She was sitting at the kitchen island on her phone. 

“Hey honey,” Dinah said, turning to close the door and lock it. 

“I’m ready,” Helena said in return. 

Dinah was confused. “Ready for bed? Me too.”

Helena stood and went around the island as Dinah stepped further into the kitchen. 

“I’m ready to sixty-nine.”

Dinah almost dropped her purse. “Oh my god—“

“I did some research—“

“What? Were you watching porn?”

“What?” Helena asked, genuinely confused. 

Christ, her love didn’t even know what porn was. What was she doing suggesting sex positions?

“Nothing,” Dinah answered. She put her purse on the island. 

“I read an article,” Helena said. “Well, two. The first one was for a partner with a penis, then I read one for two women—“

“...where did you find this article?”

“I Googled what a sixty-nine is.”

Dinah rubbed her eyes. “Dear god.”

“Anyway, I know now and I am ready.”

Dinah sighed. Although she was glad Helena got there, because sexually it was going to be explosive, she was tired and she wanted to talk about it some more. 

“Maybe tomorrow, baby,” Dinah said. 

Helena looked disappointed. “Oh. Okay.”

“Hey,” Dinah pulled Helena by her hips until they were close together. “I love that you did your research and I want to do it with you, but I am tired. And we need to talk more.”

Helena nodded. 

Dinah kissed her quickly, then she pulled Helena to bed. 

* * *

Dinah woke the next morning to the smells of coffee and bacon. She smiled as she got up in an empty bed, then went to the kitchen to find Helena cooking a wonderful breakfast. 

She stepped up to Helena and placed her hands on Helena’s hips. 

“Good morning,” Helena greeted. 

Dinah kissed her shoulder. “Good morning indeed.”

Helena nuzzled the back of her head against Dinah. “I’m ready to talk about—“

“Oh my god. Let me wake up first.”

Dinah should have known this was expected. Helena never approached anything subtly. Helena had a setting of either zero or one-hundred. There was absolutely no in between. 

So, over breakfast, they talked. They talked about a signal if someone was uncomfortable, Helena being on top to be able to back away first, and that if it didn’t work, they wouldn’t try it again. 

By the end of breakfast, Dinah was possibly super turned on or super in love. For that, there was little in between. 

They started with a shower. Getting nice and clean was an important step, in Dinah’s eyes. She figured Helena thought so too because she suggested the shower. 

Things got hot and heavy quickly. Dinah was anticipating so much the act they were going to engage in that she couldn’t keep her hands off Helena. Her skin felt sensitive already, her nipples were hard against Helena’s chest when they embraced. Helena bent to playfully lick a hard nub, then she bit Dinah’s skin just above. 

Dinah laughed. “You punk.”

“Punk?” Helena laughed back. 

“Yeah, punk. Biting me.”

Helena leaned in to bite her neck. 

Dinah shuttered because it tickled, but she pulled Helena’s head closer to her. Helena sucked her skin and had Dinah grinding her hips against her. 

Dinah couldn’t take any more. She needed to start now, so without warning, she reached around Helena and turned off the water. 

Helena laughed against her skin. “Oh, now you can’t wait.”

“Of course I can’t wait,” Dinah agreed as Helena grabbed their towels from right outside the shower door.

Helena shook her towel over her short hair, causing it to stand up in every direction. Dinah wondered how someone who turned her on so much it hurt could be so wonderfully adorable exactly one second later. 

Love, probably. 

Helena dried the rest of her body. Dinah watched with appreciative eyes. 

Finally, when they were dry, Dinah dragged Helena to the bed. She was beyond ready. 

* * *

  
They began by laying together, just cuddling and kissing. Dinah pushed a knee between Helena’s thighs as they embraced comfortably, and Helena just kissed her like her life depended on it. Maybe their lives did depend on it. 

They giggled and whispered as they touched. Helena knew all of Dinah’s ticklish spots and had a tendency to “accidentally” continuously touch them. Likewise, Dinah’s laughter made Helena laugh, and they were often caught in a loop of never ending joy between them. 

It was fun. Sex was fun. It was as though Helena didn’t even know that sometimes sex was serious and fierce; even when they stumbled into the apartment kissing and could hardly even make it to the bedroom before they were fucking, they were laughing into each other’s mouths and skin. It was the most fun Dinah ever had with a partner, and it was fitting. 

But finally, they were both impatient. Dinah’s thigh was wet where Helena was grinding against her, and Helena had a trail of wet kisses from her lips to chest where Dinah couldn’t stop tasting clean skin. 

Without warning, Helena pushed Dinah onto her back. Dinah went easily, instantly spreading her thighs to make room for Helena. 

There were silent kisses then. Dinah rotated her hips up at Helena, seeking any kind of friction and finding it against Helena’s hard muscles. Dinah threw her head back and moaned when Helena pushed her own hips down. 

Helena kissed her throat, her collarbone, her chest. She kissed down, down, down, and Dinah thought for a minute that Helena was changing the game and that she was just going to fuck Dinah first and get what she wanted after, but suddenly Helena was gone. 

Dinah opened her eyes to see Helena shuffling on her knees up the bed. 

“Do you still want to—“ Helena began. 

Dinah nodded. “Fuck yes, get up here.” 

Helena leaned down to kiss Dinah’s stomach, then her lips, then she was up again and swinging her leg over Dinah’s head. 

Dinah was in pure heaven, she was sure. She was already so wound up that just the thought of the position was making her go crazy, along with Helena’s scent and Helena’s warm skin on top of hers. 

“Are you good?” Helena asked as she got comfortable. 

Dinah was more than good, she was in heaven. “Fuck yes, baby.”

Helena licked her thigh. Dinah squirmed as it tickled. 

There wasn’t much space for teasing, but Dinah managed to turn her head to kiss the inside of Helena’s thigh. Helena tried too, nuzzling Dinah’s pelvis and pressing kisses to delicate skin. 

Finally, the main event began, and they both swiped their tongue into the other at the same time. 

It was impossible to gauge who moaned louder. But it was very possible to know that the position was working incredibly. 

* * *

Helena didn’t feel as embarrassed as she thought she would. If anything, she felt sexy. Dinah always made her feel sexy and desired, but the way Dinah was gripping her thighs, the way Dinah was moaning against her, the way Dinah was trying to  devour her was enough to forget her previous insecurities. It was incredible. 

Having Dinah in her tongue was even better. Usually it was separate, just one satisfied libido at a time, but this was two ounces of pleasure thrown into one. Dinah’s hips pushing up against her face as Dinah’s tongue traced over her clit was—

Helena realized almost too late that she was already about to come. She paused, not wanting it to end, never wanting it to end, not wanting to seem too eager or too overzealous to Dinah. 

Helena lifted her head. 

“What’s wrong?” Dinah panted. 

“I was about to come,” Helena said back.

“So?” Dinah breathed out, hot against Helena’s thigh. 

“I just...I didn’t...”

Dinah kissed her thigh. “Let whatever is going to happen happen, okay?”

“Are you...are you enjoying it?”

Dinah sucked at her thigh so hard that it hurt. Helena hissed, then chuckled. 

“I’m really fucking enjoying it,” Dinah answered then. “I love you, okay?”

Helena nodded. “I love you too,” she said, then leaned down and licked at Dinah once again. 

Dinah’s fingers squeezed Helena’s thighs as she pulled her down once more. Helena felt her tilt her head to get Helena at a slightly better angle, and soon they were back at it. 

Helena slowly began to grind her hips down against Dinah’s tongue, and Dinah encouraged her by squeezing her thighs. 

Fuck, it was so good. Helena loved it. It didn’t take long for her orgasm to work up again, and this time she didn’t stop it. She pushed her hips down once, twice, then stilled as her orgasm ripped through her. She squeezed her eyes shut as she continued to suck on Dinah’s clit as she came. 

It wasn’t until Dinah gripped her hair and pulled that Helena pulled up. 

“Oh, fuck,” Dinah sighed, gasping for air. “Fuck, that was so hot.”

Helena licked at Dinah again. Dinah reached down again and gripped her hair. 

“No, baby, not yet. Give me a minute.”

Helena agreed. She felt satisfied. It was incredible. 

She climbed off Dinah and threw herself onto the bed next to her. They were still top to bottom, laying side by side, catching their breath and letting the cool air waft over their sweat-slicked skin. 

“So that was...” Helena began, breaking the silence. 

“Fuck yes it was.”

Helena felt around until she found Dinah’s hand.

“Thank you,” Dinah said. 

“No need to thank me,” Helena said with a laugh. “It was a good idea.”

Dinah kissed her shin. 

Helena remembered the article she had read the night before. Attached was a video labeled ‘8 Girl-on-Girl Sex Positions You Need To Try’.

“Hey, baby?” Helena asked. “I have a video we definitely need to watch.”

“Was it porn?” Dinah asked. 

Helena had heard the word enough to finally ask, “What is porn?”

Dinah burst into a loud laughter. “Oh my god!” she cried, sitting up to flop onto the bed by Helena’s head. “I’ll tell you later.”

Dinah took Helena into a warm embrace. She kissed Helena soundly, laughing against her mouth once more. 


	70. Impatient

Helena was an impatient person, which Dinah found astounding.

Helena was really chill, could go for hours without moving, days without speaking, but she was as impatient as a five-year-old. 

Helena hated waiting for things. She would eat cold leftovers so she didn’t have to wait for the microwave. She would purposefully not begin getting ready until an hour after Dinah began so she didn’t have to wait too long for Dinah. She hated traffic. And she hated waiting in lines. 

Dinah could tell Helena was about five minutes away from having a fit. They’d been standing in line for almost fifteen, but prior to that Dinah offered to leave. They were waiting for coffee, it wasn’t even a big deal, but the line was very long. 

Dinah could tell as soon as they walked up that Helena was unhappy. 

Fifteen minutes later, Helena was beyond unhappy. She was impatiently weighing back and forth on her feet, she was fiddling with her phone, she was obsessively checking the time. 

She was driving Dinah crazy, that’s what she was doing. 

“Can you chill?” Dinah asked. “I offered to leave.”

Helena frowned. “But the scones.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. As impatient as Helena was, she was passionate about the shop’s scones. Apparently, she had woken up with a major hankering for the pastry. 

Dinah shoved her hands in her pockets and looked around up and down the street. The line was so long that they were standing outside on the sidewalk. 

Helena groaned loudly. 

“What?!” Dinah cried. 

“Nothing!”

Dinah looked at Helena again. “Do I need to be staring at you? Do you need me to be paying attention to you?!”

Helena looked down at her feet. She kicked a rock. “No,” she said quietly. 

Dinah did stare at her pouting girlfriend. Helena had the hood of her black hoodie pulled over her head despite the clear sky. Her jeans were tight, tucked into her booted feet. She looked like a brooding teen. 

She looked annoying, is what Dinah thought. 

Dinah looked away as the line moved forward. Helena followed, scuffing her boots on the sidewalk. 

They were silent again. Helena rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet as Dinah people watched. Dinah wasn’t nearly as impatient. She always found something interesting to see. 

Dinah wondered why Helena was so impatient all the time. Dinah wondered if Helena was already so used to the world changing so instantly that, like a toddler, she was catered to. Also like a toddler, Helena was easily bored and constantly needed simulation, even if it was her own thoughts. Apparently, waiting in line did not offer room for those thoughts. 

Suddenly, Helena slumped over, practically throwing herself on Dinah. Her head rested on Dinah’s head and she draped herself over Dinah’s side. 

Dinah let out a laugh. “Oh my god,” Dinah muttered. 

Helena groaned. 

Dinah patted her head. “You’re fine.”

Helena groaned again. 

“We can go,” Dinah offered. 

Helena shook her head. “Entertain me.”

Dinah chuckled. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who annoyed the shit out of her girlfriend. And her girlfriend considered drop-kicking her ass on the sidewalk.”

“You couldn’t,” Helena argued. Dinah heard a smile in her voice. 

“Want to bet?”

Helena shook her head. 

Dinah shifted to get an arm around Helena’s frame. 

“We should fight sometime,” Helena said as Dinah pulled her in close. 

“What? Fight?”

“Yeah, like spar. Just practice.”

“Not uh,” Dinah replied. “No.”

“What, scared?”

Dinah snorted. “You wish. I could kick your ass any day.”

Helena lifted her head. “Why don’t you put your mouth where your money is, Lance?”

“That’s not the saying, and you couldn’t handle it, Bertinelli.”

“I’m a trained assassin.”

“I grew up on the street.”

Helena’s eyes slit to glare playfully at Dinah. “This is sounding more and more like a challenge, if you ask me.”

Dinah shrugged and looked away. “You brought it up.”

Helena bumped her head against Dinah’s. 

Dinah laughed. “‘Kay, I’ll spar with you sometime.”

Helena smiled. 

“Can’t get mad when I whip your skinny butt, though.”

Helena smirked. “You’re on, Canary.”

Dinah looked at Helena. She looked much more cheerful than she had just minutes ago. For some reason their talk of sparring helped. 

“You’re so weird,” Dinah commented before leaning in to give Helena a kiss on the cheek. 

Helena smiled widely as Dinah kissed her. 

The line moved so they stepped into the cafe. In only a few people, it would be their turn. Dinah moved her hand to hold Helena’s. 

Helena smiled at her. “Thank you,” she said. 

Dinah knew Helena was thanking her for keeping her mind occupied. Dinah didn’t need to be thanked, she was glad to help Helena. She was glad to talk to Helena. 

Dinah kissed her cheek again. “You’re welcome, babe,” she said anyway. 

Helena kept smiling. Dinah knew she was in a good mood again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am Helena. I am the world’s most impatient person. I hate it. I hate waiting.


	71. Painting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and a teensy but of smut.

Helena needed a hobby. She had her bike, she had the team, but other than those two things, she had nothing significant that took up time.

Dinah told her to try baking. 

Helena got mad because she gained two pounds. 

Dinah told her to write. 

Helena got mad because Dinah couldn’t read her handwriting. 

Dinah told her to read more. 

Helena got mad because Shakespeare was so fucking stupid. 

Dinah told her to play video games. 

Helena got mad because she couldn’t beat Dinah’s scores. 

Dinah told her to dance. 

Helena got mad because she felt stupid. 

Dinah told her to shut the hell up. 

Helena did. 

Helena continued to try new things, though, until one finally stuck: painting. 

She realized she loved to paint. It was fun. It was calm. It didn’t need to be perfect. It could just be colors splattered on a canvas and it was still a creation. Helena learned that she liked to create, she liked to imagine, and she wondered why she hadn’t taken up painting before. 

Dinah was verbally astounded by Helena’s natural skill. “You’ve never painted before?” she asked, her arms around Helena’s waist and her chin on Helena’s shoulder as Helena sat on the stool in front of the easel she  needed . 

Helena dabbed a bit of green on a flower. “No, never. Well, probably, when I was younger. But not when I can remember.”

Dinah kissed her shoulder. “You’re good, honey. Can you paint me sometime?”

Helena nodded, imagining quickly how fun it would be. 

A few days later, Helena got her supplies ready while Dinah was at the grocery store. She took out some paints, brushes, water, and decided to set Dinah up to be painted on the floor of her bedroom. She took all of Dinah’s pillows and blankets off her bed to create a nest on the floor, and she was prepared by the time Dinah got home. 

“Hey, honey!” Dinah called from the kitchen. 

Helena entered the room. “Can I paint you now?”

Dinah smiled. “Sure. Let me just unpack.”

Helena grabbed some snacks. She got a bowl of fresh strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Dinah had purchased a nice white wine that was already cold, so Helena got that, too. 

Dinah lifted an eyebrow. “That kind of afternoon, huh?”

Helena handed her a glass with a kiss on her cheek. “Why don’t you go take your clothes off and—“

Dinah chuckled. “Okay, but this painting is for your eyes only.”

Helena kissed her again. “Of course.”

Dinah gave a sly smile, then went into her bedroom. 

A minute later, Helena followed with their bowl of fruit, and Dinah was already rested on the bed Helena made. She had a sheet pulled up to her armpits and looked incredible.

Helena said so. “You look beautiful.”

Dinah was glowing. “Do I get a naked painter?”

Helena set the bowl and her glass next to Dinah, then lifted her shirt over her head. Her jeans were next, and Dinah just looked up at her appreciatively. 

“But that’s it,” Helena said. 

“For now,” Dinah teased. 

Helena smiled. “Turn over now.”

Dinah looked slightly confused for one second, then she did as Helena told her to. She turned onto her stomach; the sheet slipped lower on her back. Helena pulled the sheet down so it was just covering her ass, then she kneeled and straddled Dinah’s thighs. 

Painting Dinah was going to be so fun. Helena had a vision. A gorgeous vision. 

She began by massaging Dinah’s back. Dinah sighed and dig into the pillows even further. 

“Your hands are a fucking gift,” Dinah sighed. 

“You know, that’s not the first time you’ve ever said that.”

Dinah chuckled. “Because it’s true.”

Helena’s hands roamed all over Dinah’s skin, kneading her soft muscle and digging in where Dinah was tense. Helena was gentle, drawing moans of pleasure from Dinah under her. 

Helena didn’t go too low, fearing she wouldn’t be able to control pulling the sheet off Dinah’s ass. She wanted to paint. Everything else could come later. 

Helena decided Dinah was relaxed enough, so she grabbed her first brush, dipped it into the blue paint, and carefully stroked it over Dinah’s back. 

Dinah suddenly let out a loud laugh, so violent that Helena couldn’t continue painting. Dinah was laughing so hard that she snorted. 

Helena was confused. “Wh—“

“Baby, I thought you were going to paint  me . Like...paint a portrait of me, on a canvas.”

Helena paused. “Oh.”

Dinah was still laughing. “I thought...you fucking thought—“

Helena was completely embarrassed. Of course that’s what Dinah meant. How could Helena think something so stupid—

Helena wiped the blue off Dinah’s back and moved to climb off of her. 

Dinah’s hand reached for Helena’s wrist. “No, honey, please continue. Now I really, really want you to.”

Helena frowned. “You don’t think I’m a complete idiot?”

“No, of course not,” Dinah was still chuckling. “No. I think you’re brilliant. Come on, please? Continue?”

Helena was still frowning. “Are you sure?”

Dinah looked up at her. “Please?”

Helena nodded. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Dinah said, letting Helena go and settling on the bed again.

Helena leaned down and kissed Dinah right between the shoulder blades. Dinah shuttered. Helena kissed her again, slightly lower, before sitting up again and grabbing the brush. She dipped it in the blue paint once more and began to paint the sky. 

“That tickles,” Dinah said with a little giggle. 

Helena nuzzled her nose against Dinah’s skin above the stroke of blue. When she sat up to continue, Dinah was smiling widely with her eyes closed. 

Helena painted a beautiful scene on Dinah’s back. There were mountains and trees, the sky and water. There were a dozen different colors and shades of each, and Helena was sure it was her best work. 

“I’m done,” Helena said a while later. Their fruit was eaten, the bottle of wine was mostly gone. And Dinah’s back was covered with art. 

“I want to see it,” Dinah said dreamily. 

Helena grabbed her phone and snapped a photo. Everything about the picture was perfect. Dinah naked. The paint. All of it. 

Helena held her phone down for Dinah to see. Dinah smiled again. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Dinah said. 

“What? Why?”

“You just decided one day that you could paint.”

Helena chuckled. “Doing things is a power of will. You can do anything.”

“Yeah? Want to see me paint?”

“I’d love to.”

Dinah shook her head. “I’ll let you do it.”

Helena leaned down and kissed her ear. “Want me to paint anything else?” She ran fingers between the sheet and Dinah’s skin. 

“Paint...my ass?”

Helena licked her ear and neck. “Doesn’t have to be with a brush.”

Dinah smirked. “Oh, you know another way to paint?” She pushed her ass into Helena’s hips. 

Helena nodded and pulled the sheet down. “Should I use my fingers?” she asked, teasing her fingers lower. 

Dinah nodded. “Yes, please.”

Helena bit her shoulder. “Thank you for letting me paint you.”

Dinah laughed, but it quickly turned into a moan when Helena’s fingers grazed her opening. “Anytime,” she panted out. 

Helena made plans for next time as she pushed two fingers into Dinah’s wet heat. 

Maybe a still life of some fruit. Maybe a bird. Maybe—

Dinah moaned loudly. Helena focused on the task at hand—literally. 

Next time, Helena decided. Next time. 


	72. Confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the prompt of Person A thinking Person B’s cluelessness was hot, like a “himbo” which is my current favorite slang. But I couldn’t think of anything good. So here’s a silly case of fighting crime.

Dinah absolutely loved Helena’s cluelessness. She didn’t know why. Helena’s confused face was so freakin’  _ cute _ . It was weird, it was definitely weird. But Helena being as clueless as a newborn kitten was so adorable.

Helena knew lots of things, though. She knew how to kill someone with the touch of a finger. She knew how to hot wire a vehicle. She knew how to make incredible sauce for literally any kind of pasta. 

But it was the things she didn’t understand that got Dinah wanted to squish her into a tight hug and protect her from the world. 

So, they were in a fight. And the perpetrator they were after was using stupid-ass clues to lead them to his location. Dinah was straight up annoyed, but the clues were easy, so it was more just time consuming than hard. 

They ended up at a warehouse—of course—and Dinah was two seconds from giving in and letting the damn dude go. What kept her going was Helena’s two-steps behind face. 

She and Dinah were huddled over a computer screen while Renee was the next floor up scoping out the place. 

Dinah glanced at Helena. “Ugh, that face is so cute.”

Helena looked at her, looking even more lost. “What?”

“That face, your face, you’re just so cute.”

Helena stood up straight. “Cute? I’m not trying to be cute. It’s not...I’m not—“

Dinah followed her up. She put her arms around Helena’s neck. “Fucking cute.”

“Guys?” Renee sounded in their ears through their communications. “Not the time.”

Dinah put her finger to her lips, indicating for Helena to be quiet, then leaned in and kissed Helena. 

“I don’t hear any typing!” Renee shouted. 

Helena broke away from Dinah quickly, as if Renee was right there ready to kick their asses and not a level up. Dinah just chuckled and went back to the computer. 

There were a series scientific formulas in a not-so hidden file on the computer. Dinah rolled her eyes. 

“And I thought clowns were annoying.”

Helena chuckled. 

When Dinah clicked on the file, a message popped up on the computer. 

“A bomb is hidden in this room that will explode in two minutes unless you choose the computer program to stop it.”

“Fuck,” Dinah sighed. “Bomb. Renee, get out of there.”

“Shit,” Renee sighed. “I’m coming down.”

“Just get out. I’ll—“

“We will get this,” Helena stopped Dinah. “Alright, two minutes. Let’s see...”

Time was ticking. There were four computer programs up and Dinah tried to skim, but couldn’t really make anything out.

“This one mentions nitroglycerin, that blows up. That’s probably not gonna stop it.”

“Choose that one,” Helena said, reading the program synopsis. 

“What?! Trinitrotoluene?!”

“What?!”

“That’s TNT!”

Helena threw her hands in the air. “Well, I don’t know! How do you know—“

“Guys!”

With maybe twenty seconds left, Helena clicked one of the programs. At the exact moment, Dinah pushed Helena to the floor and dove on top of her. 

There was no explosion. Something in the room beeped loudly, but nothing detonated. 

Dinah let out a deep, shaky breath against Helena’s chest. 

“And you think I’m clueless,” Helena said. 

Dinah lifted her head off Helena’s chest and gazed down at her. “I’ve never wanted to kiss you more.”

“You’re welcome to do so—“

Dinah leaned forward.

“Guys!” Renee yelled in their ears. “I’m glad you fools aren’t dead, but now isn’t the time! Creep on the loose, remember?”

“He can wait,” Helena whispered. 

“Bertinelli, seriously?!”

“She’s probably right,” Helena said, her hands grazing up Dinah’s thighs.

Dinah nodded.

“I did say,  probably ,” Helena added, biting her lip. 

“I can assure you now is not the time,” Renee said. “You horn-dogs .”

Helena’s eyebrows lifted. “Isn’t that the gross food?”

Dinah groaned. “Oh my god, Montoya, give us a minute.”

Renee spilled a string of Spanish curse words in their ears, but soon they heard some more yelling not from their earpiece. With a sigh, Dinah climbed off Helena and offered a hand to help her up. 

“My hero,” Dinah muttered as Helena stood. 

Helena grinned proudly. Dinah just smiled back. 


	73. Pet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter prompted by thicccsapphic on Tumblr like three months ago and I JUST saw it! Hope you enjoy!

Bringing life into the house was something they talked about and decided wasn’t for them. How could they, with such strange crime fighting hours? They couldn’t just leave a baby alone during the night. 

But after they decided a baby was a big no for them, they still felt like they were missing a little something. Dinah got over it quickly, accepting the lack of something to take care of as something they didn’t need. Helena, however, had the idea in her head and couldn’t let it go. 

So, Helena decided they needed a dog. Helena liked dogs—when they visited someone with a dog, she spent more time with the dog than humans. Once Helena got the idea in her head, she wasn’t going to let it go. 

Dinah was apprehensive. 

“What would we do with a dog?” Dinah asked. 

“Eat it for dinner, Di. What the fuck do you think we’d do with a dog?”

Dinah rolled her eyes, but cracked a smile. “Have you ever even had a dog? They’re a lot of work.”

“There were dogs at the house in Sicily,” Helena said. “They were pretty self-sufficient, but I know how to take care of a dog!”

Dinah shook her head. “I don’t know, babe. We still can’t leave a puppy alone, you know? They’re like a baby.”

Helena frowned. She accepted Dinah’s answer, but she knew she could convince Dinah otherwise. 

Helena made a plan. They didn’t need a puppy, she decided, they could go to a shelter and rescue a dog. A nice big dog that could protect them. Dinah couldn’t say no to that. 

Helena also didn’t have a job, so that meant she could walk the dog during the day. She would be there to feed it and give it water when it needed it. Jesus, Harley even had a pet. How hard could it be?

Finally, Helena figured an older dog could be left home when they went out to fight crime. 

Helena made a list of points on her phone and went to sleep, not waiting up for Dinah to get back from work. She would show Dinah the list in the morning. 

* * *

Helena could not wait for Dinah to wake up. She was proud of her list. She was sure Dinah couldn’t say no. She was sure Dinah would absolutely say, “Yes, let’s get a dog.” Helena was sure it would go well. 

She couldn’t wait. She poked at her wife’s side until Dinah stirred and shifted on her pillow. 

“Dinah?” Helena whispered. 

“Fucking what?” Dinah slurred. 

“I have to tell you something.”

“You’d better be fucking dying.”

“Would you wake up if I was?”

“No,” Dinah said, then turned her head away from Helena. 

Helena frowned. “I made a list of the reasons we should get a dog.”

“Oh my god.”

Helena pulled the list up on her phone. “So, first of all, we don’t need a puppy. We can go to the shelter and get a rescue dog.”

“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to leave you at a shelter.”

“Ha-ha,” Helena muttered, poking Dinah’s side again. “We can get a big dog, a protective dog.”

“Protect you from catching these hands?”

Helena chuckled. “And, you know, I don’t have a job—“

“I am aware—“

“So I could walk it and feed it when it needs food.”

“Mmm,” Dinah sighed. 

“And then, at night when we go fight crime, the dog would be okay by itself. We can get it a nice little bed to sleep on and wait for us.”

Dinah sighed loudly. “If I say yes, will you shut up and let me go back to sleep?”

Helena kissed Dinah’s shoulder. “I love you. I love you.”

“Mmm, right, now let me sleep?”

“I love you,” Helena whispered again, kissing Dinah’s shoulder once again. Then, she slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen to make Dinah a giant breakfast. 

* * *

Two days later, Helena decided she needed to get a start on preparing for their new arrival. They needed supplies. So, as per usual, she made a list and got started. 

“Can I borrow your keys?” she asked Dinah, knowing she couldn’t transport things from thepet store on her bike. 

Dinah eyed her skeptically over the pages of her book. “Why?”

“I have to go pick some stuff up.”

Dinah lowered her book. “What stuff?”

“Some stuff.”

Dinah sighed. “You’re going to the pet store aren’t you?”

“How would you even know that?!”

Dinah reached into her back pocket for her keys. “The dog’s not even here yet.”

“And when it gets here, it needs to feel welcome.”

“We don’t even know when we’ll have time to go to the shelter. And what if we don’t pick one right away?”

“Then I’ll be prepared for when we do pick one.”

Dinah tossed her the keys. “You’re ridiculous.”

“So you’ve said.”

Dinah still smiled. “Have fun.”

“I’ll bring you a present, too.”

“From the pet store? No thanks.”

“I’ll stop at that other store you like,” Helena said with a wink. 

Dinah shook her head. “Don’t make pet shopping weird.”

Helena stepped over to Dinah and kneeled on the couch to loom over her. “You don’t need a new toy, too?”

Dinah laughed and pushed at Helena. “No, I don’t.”

Helena leaned in and kissed her. Dinah grabbed Helena’s hair. Helena smiled into the kiss and lowered herself so Dinah was holding her weight. 

Still, Helena pulled back first, while Dinah chased her lips. 

“I’ll be back,” Helena whispered.

“Have fun.”

Helena was gone in a flash. 

* * *

At the pet store, Helena wandered the isles three or four times to pick out the exact items she wanted. Of course, she needed a bowl for food and a bowl for water, a bed, and a collar and leash, but for an hour longer she looked for items she just wanted for the dog. She picked out piles of toys of varying sizes, different kinds of foods, cleaning supplies, shampoo, a brush, and even a tiny dog shirt that said, “I heart my moms”. Helena was very proud of it. 

Once her cart was full, Helena took her items to the front to checkout. 

“Find everything you needed?” the cashier asked. 

Helena nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

The young man smiled. “What kind of dog do you have?”

“Oh, I don’t have a dog.”

“Then...” the young man looked so confused, but he did not engage. “Okay...” He just continued scanning Helena’s items in silence, not making any more small talk.

Helena was glad for it. Once she paid, she gathered her bags and left. 

On her way home, Helena stopped for donuts for Dinah’s present. She knew Dinah would love them. 

* * *

A week after that, Helena and Dinah found time to get to the shelter. Helena was buzzing with excitement. She continuously talked about the dog, asking things like if she could teach it tricks. 

Dinah was still nervous. Helena noticed. By the time Dinah parked the car, Helena felt less excited. 

“We really...” Helena sighed. “We really don’t have to get a dog if you don’t want to. It’s okay.”

Dinah shrugged. “What if you like the dog more than me?”

Helena looked at Dinah, trying to find an answer, but Dinah quickly cracked a smile. Helena playfully shoved her. 

“What’s really bothering you?”

Dinah shrugged again. “I don’t know! I honestly don’t. I’m just worried, like, what if it says my shoes? And pees on the floor?”

“I’ll train it not to. I promise. Don’t worry. You’ll love it.”

Dinah took a deep breath, then she nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Helena and Dinah walked into the building and met with a worker to meet the dogs. She was warm and bubbly and Helena absolutely noticed Dinah possessively slipping her arm into Helena’s. Helena just smiled and didn’t say anything. 

They went into a room with a pen with many dogs. There was a mob of dogs playing together, sharing food, but there was one dog resting by herself far away from the group. She was black and sleek, long and skinny with tall ears and a long nose. As soon as Helena, Dinah, and the worker walked in, her ears perked up curiously and she looked on alert, but she didn’t move. She didn’t show the same excitement as the other dogs. 

Helena was staring at her, too. 

Dinah patted Helena’s arm. “I think I found your dog.”

Helena was too busy staring at the dog to hear Dinah. 

“You like her?” the worker asked. “She was a service dog for a little girl, but unfortunately the little girl passed on and the family couldn’t keep her when they moved. Her name is Roux.”

Dinah squeezed Helena’s arm. “Call her over.”

“Uh...” Helena awkwardly held up her hand. “Come here, Roux.”

The dog immediately jumped up and ran to Helena. Helena kneeled and the dog got right in Helena’s face. Dinah patted the top of Helena’s head like Helena was doing to the dog. 

“I guess she’s it,” Dinah told the worker. 

“I’ll get the paperwork ready!”

Dinah kneeled next to Helena and slowly reached for the dog. Roux instantly left Helena and jumped at Dinah, offering kisses anywhere she could reach. 

“She is me,” Helena said. “Instantly in love with you.”

Dinah laughed. “Or she knows she needs to earn my love to stay.”

“Hey, me too.”

Dinah glared at her. Helena smiled, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. 

“I love you,” Helena told her. 

Dinah kissed her lips quickly. “I love you too, baby.”

* * *

It did not take long for Roux to fit in to complete their little family. It did not take long for Dinah to open her heart to the pup. 

It also did not take long for Roux to bypass her own bed every night to sleep with her parents. 


	74. Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference to the song WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. One line of lyrics mentioned, then the title is mentioned. 
> 
> Little bit of dirty talk. Tiny bit. Other than that, humor and fluff. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Helena really loved hanging around Dinah, pretty much at all times. Dinah didn’t mind. Helena kept to herself, and although Dinah didn’t have to treat Helena like a child, Dinah appreciated that Helena stayed out of the way. She was often even helpful.

Like today. Dinah was at the bar unpacking a new stock of inventory with Annie, and Helena wanted to go, too. Annie was the one who put Helena to work, saying, “Use those himbo muscles for something.” 

The only distraction Helena caused was when Annie and Dinah had to explain to her what a ‘himbo’ was.

Then, Helena was very helpful. She carried cases of alcohol and various items much faster than Dinah or Annie could. 

Dinah put music on quickly, she always did. She loved controlling the speaker and putting it on a playlist of her own creation. She had chosen current hits, and she and Annie would pause for dance breaks often. 

“Do you guys remember that I don’t work here?” Helena asked as she walked in carrying a case of beer. 

Dinah and Annie were dancing very close and sexy together, as they would if the song was playing in a nightclub and not in an empty bar at noon on a Tuesday. 

Helena set the case down with a clank. “Should I be jealous?” she asked, waving between the two women. 

“Don’t think so,” Dinah said, sidling up to Helena. She playfully grabbed the bottom of Helena’s tank-top and pulled her in, shaking her hips at Helena. “I got some moves just for you, baby.” Dinah put her hands on Helena’s hips and tried to sway Helena, too. 

Helena bashfully pushed her hair out of her face. She gave a grin that Dinah loved so much. She did it when she was a little bit embarrassed, but in a way that she wanted Dinah’s attention. 

Dinah couldn’t help but kiss her. She wrapped her arms around Helena’s waist. 

“Don’t embarrass the poor girl,” Annie teased. She playfully bumped her hip against Dinah. “Come on! Less kissin’, more workin’.”

Helena tried to pull away, but Dinah yanked her in for one more little kiss before letting her go. 

Dinah hummed and sang along to all the songs that played. She even noticed Helena bopping her head to the beats of some songs.

They were having a good time. The music was great, they were laughing, and it was an easygoing day. 

Then, Dinah’s current favorite song began.

“Yo, turn it up!” Annie yelled from the back as soon as it began. 

Dinah grinned. “Annie, you’re nasty! Lovin’ this song!”

Annie laughed loudly. “You’re nasty! It’s on your playlist!”

Helena looked confused. “What is this song?”

Dinah chuckled. 

“Oh, god!” Annie yelled from the back. 

Dinah turned the song up and began it again. She danced a little bit to the beat while she sang along, knowing every word to the song because she played it so often. 

“ _ Hop on top, I wanna ride, I do a _ —“ 

Dinah finally looked up at a very silent Helena. Her cheeks were deep red and her eyes were wide as she stared unfocused at the cardboard box in front of her. 

Dinah burst into loud laughter. 

Annie jumped out of the back. “What?! What was her reaction?!”

Dinah pointed at Helena. “I think I broke her!”

Helena covered her eyes. “Why is this a song!”

“Because women can be sexual, Bertinelli! You of all people should know this!”

Helena dropped her hands. “Why  _me of all people_ ?!” 

“You make that WAP when you walk into a room!” 

Helena dropped her head to bury her face in her arms on the table. “Oh my god!”

Dinah laughed and circled the table to pat Helena’s back. “You’re making her uncomfortable!”

“What! This is probably just what chicks think when they see you—“ 

Dinah ticked at her, but laughed. She wrapped her arms around Helena’s waist and cradled her from behind. She buried her face in Helena’s neck as Annie left the room laughing. 

“This is how I feel when I see you,” Dinah joked, kissing the side of Helena’s neck. 

Helena squirmed. 

Dinah wouldn’t say anything about the song unless she knew they weren’t going to be heard by anybody. As soon as she heard Annie leave the building to go to the truck, she kept going. 

“I’d sing this song to you all day. Nobody’s ever made me as wet as you do.”

Helena kind of turned her head toward Dinah. 

Dinah kissed her neck again. “I’m wet for you right now.”

Helena turned her head fully, but was still laying on her arms. “Seriously...”

Dinah bit her ear. “Wanna find out?”

Helena sat up. “Don’t tempt me.”

Dinah lifted an eyebrow. “Or, what?”

Helena shrugged as she stood. “We haven’t fucked in your car in a while.” She pushed Dinah back to sit on a stool. 

Dinah spread her thighs to make room for Helena to stand. “You’re not doing a very good job at making me not tempt you.”

Helena kissed her neck. “I’m always tempted.” She kissed Dinah’s collarbone, then the middle of her chest. 

Dinah grasped her hair. “Better stop.”

“Or what?”

“You were the one uncomfortable by the song, and now look at you. Two seconds from getting on your knees.”

Helena pulled Dinah’s already low-cut shirt even lower to kiss between her breasts. Dinah let out a small gasp. 

“It is,” Helena glanced down at Dinah’s crotch, “Very tempting—“

Suddenly, Annie slammed the back door. “Better not be fucking in my bar!”

Dinah laughed. Helena quickly stood up straight.

Dinah hopped off her stool. She did want Helena, so bad, of course, but there was work to be done. Then, she could take Helena home and have her way with the woman. All the dirty ideas the song gave her. 

Before Helena could walk away to resume helping Annie, Dinah grabbed her arm to pull her close. She gave Helena a quick peck on the lips. 

Then, Dinah winked and let Helena go. Helena coolly kept working, and Dinah decided to skip any more songs that could be uncomfortable for Helena in front of Annie. 


	75. Talking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Are you still horny? Didn’t I fuck you hard enough last night?”
> 
> But they don’t have sex! Communication is key.

Dinah sighed awake to Helena gently sucking on her earlobe. Dinah’s face broke into a satisfied grin before the rest of her took stock of the situation, and then she caught up.

On her stomach, the way she usually slept; Helena sprawled over her back; bare thighs bracketing hers. Helena’s naked front was touching her entire back. Helena’s hands were stroking up and down Dinah’s sides. 

Dinah sighed again. “What’chu doin’?” she slurred out. 

Helena nibbled on her ear. “I missed you.”

“Missed me? Did you leave me during the night?”

Helena chuckled, kissing Dinah’s neck. “No. But you were asleep, and I was awake.”

“Mmm...” Dinah moaned, pushing her as against Helena’s crotch. “How awake?”

Helena pushed herself on her arms so she was hovering over Dinah. With one hand, she gently pushed Dinah’s hair off her back. “Very awake,” she said, leaning down to kiss Dinah’s back gently. 

“Are you still horny?” Dinah asked. “Didn’t I fuck you hard enough last night?”

Helena gently bit Dinah’s skin. “Wasn’t it mutual?”

Dinah pushed into her pillow. “I didn’t wake up humping you already.”

Helena licked the spot she’d bit. “You smelled really good.”

“I still smell like sex.”

“Exactly,” Helena said. 

Suddenly, Helena was gone from Dinah’s back, but she was sitting up on Dinah’s thighs. She raked her hands up and down Dinah’s back, massaging gently and streaking blunt nails down Dinah’s skin. Dinah was in heaven. Helena’s hands made her feel good no matter what they were doing to her. 

“That’s nice,” Dinah said. 

“Yeah?” Helena asked, massaging deeper. “I should get some oils.”

“Oh yeah,” Dinah agreed. “I thought you were gonna fuck me.”

“We have time,” Helena said. “We have all day.”

“Mmm,” Dinah sighed. 

Helena’s hands continued to work her skin, and Dinah just laid there to enjoy. Helena knew exactly where to touch to make Dinah gasp. Dinah felt incredible. 

Then, Helena seemed to grow more adventurous and one-track minded, because her hands traveled down to Dinah’s ass. Helena grabbed at her skin, kneading, practically playing with her ass. Dinah felt Helena shift against her as her heart began to beat faster. 

“You want to fuck me like that?” Dinah asked. 

“Huh?”

“You want to fuck me like that?” Dinah simply repeated. 

Helena trailed fingers down toward Dinah’s entrance. “Like this?” she asked. 

Dinah stifled a chuckle. “No. Like,  _fuck_ me.”

“I don’t...”

It occurred to Dinah that Helena truly did not know. How could she know? The extent of her sexual knowledge came from Dinah. If Dinah hadn’t mentioned it, of course Helena wouldn’t know. 

“What do you mean?” Helena asked. 

Dinah didn’t want to have the conversation with Helena’s fingers buried in her. She reached back and tapped Helena’s thigh. 

“Up,” she demanded.

Helena quickly climbed off Dinah. She sat against her pillow as Dinah turned over. They were both naked. Dinah kind of welcomed the vulnerability, but she didn’t want Helena to recoil and grow uncomfortable. 

But finally, Dinah decided to just get on with it, not sugarcoating or anything. Like a band-aid. 

“So,” Dinah said, leaning up on one elbow while turned on her side facing Helena. “There’s this thing called a strap-on, and basically it’s something you wear that...well, it’s got a dildo on it. A dick.”

Helena’s cheeks blossomed a very cute red. Dinah cracked a smile. 

“Okay...” Helena breathed out. 

“Okay?” Dinah asked, opening up for anything Helena may say next. 

“Is...” Helena lowered her eyes. “Is that something you...you want?”

Dinah shrugged. “I mean, I’ve tried it before. And I like it.”

“Is—“

Dinah watched Helena. “What?”

Helena swallowed. “Nothing.”

Dinah’s eyebrows furrowed “What...?”

Helena shook her head. 

Dinah leaned forward to look at Helena’s face. “What, baby? Ask me anything.”

Helena nervously licked her lips. “Do you like it because...because you miss men?”

Of any question Helena could have asked, Dinah didn’t think that one was that bad. It was honest. 

“No,” Dinah said. “No, not at all. It just feels good. Just...a different way to have sex. But it’s not a big deal. If it makes you uncomfortable.”

Helena bit her lip. Dinah thought she looked far too appealing with a blush on her cheeks and her lips between her teeth. Helena had the best thinking face. 

“It doesn’t sound...unappealing,” Helena said. “I might like to know more about it.”

“Okay,” Dinah said, reaching over and gently touching Helena’s knee. “We’ll talk about it. Know that I’ve thought about it before. With you. And not because I miss men—“

“I’m sorry,” Helena interrupted. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean for that to be such an asshole question.”

“Hey, no. I don’t think it was an asshole question. I appreciate your honesty.”

Helena nodded. 

Dinah ran fingers over Helena’s knee. “We’ll talk about it, okay?”

Helena nodded. 

Dinah leaned over and kissed Helena’s knee, then a little bit higher on her thigh. “Do you want to continue?” she asked, trying to sound cool and sexy, like there wasn’t an interruption. 

“Actually,” Helena answered, “I think I just want to take a shower.”

Dinah nodded. “Okay,” she easily said. It wasn’t a big deal. 

Helena finally looked up at Dinah’s face. “Join me?” she asked, a cute, small smile on her face. 

Dinah grinned widely. “Of course.”

Helena leaned over and kissed Dinah’s smile with her own. Dinah eagerly kissed back, feeling so much open and honest love. 


End file.
